While We Were Sleeping
by Juggsauce
Summary: A mysterious voice brings Eren to question his own sanity amidst his own kidnapping. He must decide how he can best defend man kind and shifters alike.
1. 1 Unset

**Please read this before the story!**

This story begins between ch 51 and 52 and will inevitably deviate more and more from the canon story. I did my best to tie it into the events thus far in the series (55) without contradicting anything. I do recommend brushing up on those chapters, it will make it easier to follow along. If you aren't really feeling the first chapter, give the second one a shot because it represents the pacing and style of the story much better than the first. Enjoy!

* * *

'….Sleep…..'

'Yeah….'

'Such a counter-productive duality… So obtrusive, yet necessary, inviting even.'

Eren stared at the grains and splinters lining the support beam above his cot. He missed sleeping amongst his friends, sleeping alone was new to him. Three years in the barracks brought him comfort in the symphony of snores and mutterings. All Eren had now was his thoughts and the occasional sounds emanating around the house. So very tired, but how could he sleep like this?

'Titans don't need it, why do I? Sleep is such a dire loss of precious time, let alone hiding out here. Sitting and waiting, in the middle of nowhere, while a war rages out there. What if Reiner, Berthold, and Ymir breach Wall Rose while we're out here hiding? They'd surely free Annie and get away before the news would even make it out here…

While his body was happy to assume an idle state, Eren's mind seemed happy to take advantage of the new found, albeit strange, serenity. For the proceeding hour he contemplated what happened on that field days ago. He replayed the events over and over, wondering what triggered this new control over them. All he remembered was how badly he wanted.. intended.. to destroy that bastard. To tear that grinning monster apart, piece by piece.

"Maybe it takes more than a desire."

Eren's eyes opened, but it was dark, yet familiar..

"Who's there?" He asked.

"Maybe the trigger is operated with something greater than determination; maybe lives have to be at stake"

The voice wasn't familiar, nor did it seem to come from any particular direction. Eren couldn't even describe it; it had no particular tone, no accent, and no sex. He decided to stand up, but, he found himself already upright. It was as if he was on his feet as soon as he willed it.

"I'm dreaming." He concluded.

"Good, with that revelation out of the way, we can focus on this new ability."

"Dream or not, I don't know how I feel about having a conversation with… well, myself." Eren pondered aloud.

"Do you want to be in full control of yourself or not? Dreams don't last forever, you know..."

Eren decided that he was talking to his subconscious self. It didn't really matter why, after all, discovering new things about himself was becoming an ongoing theme. It couldn't hurt to see what this voice in his head had to say.

"Alright, that seems like a reasonable theory, so what now?" Said Eren.

"Not much really, you already know which emotions swam through you at the time. I'm afraid that we're at a dead end until the next contact with titans. But what you can do is make the best of your opportunity while you're stuck out here."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Do they not plan to experiment on your titan form out here in the forest?"

"You mean 'monster' form." He replied in disgust.

"Be that as it may, the other titan shifters have obviously spent more time mastering their abilities. If you plan on taking them on, I'd say it would behoove you to learn what you can before that day comes."

"Since when have I thought so critically?"

"You?"

* * *

{This is after Eren transforms halfway on his third attempt in the forest and passes out}

"Welcome back"

"Shit." Said Eren.

"Shit?"

"So I guess this is a thing now? You won't be going away?"

"I could leave you to your normal nightmares if you'd like. You may not remember them, but I do, and I really don't want to..."

Eren's sigh interrupted his mental passenger, "Alright, fine."

"I see you're getting better with your control while transformed"

"What are you talking about? I couldn't maintain coherence more than an hour! Annie was able to maintain her form, consciousness, and stamina for the better portion of a whole day! She even transformed twice!"

Annie… Eren felt that familiar pain in his chest, he couldn't get her out of his head.

'I bet she holds the answers to a lot of this. I just want to know wh..'

Eren's wandering mind was dragged back on track with the reply:

"That will come with practice. Don't you want to put work into it and get stronger?

"What makes you speak as if you know that?"

"What makes you doubt it? Haven't your doubts killed enough people you love? You've only ever been strong after you let situations escalate out of control! Don't you want to change that, Eren?"

Dizzy. Sure enough, thoughts he had buried over and over had come to haunt him yet again. All he could feel was dizziness. His eyes showed him the familiar dreamscape, the 'void', as he had taken to calling it. Yeah, it was all there, calm and still, yet violently spinning. If a person had said that to him, he'd be angry. But this was different, this was coming from his own mind. The one he never trusted was himself. Suddenly there was clarity; this voice, this...person, was his biggest enemy. It was himself.

Eren took a deep breath and closed his eyes, he needed to take control. He decided that nothing was spinning, and when he opened his eyes the sensation would vanish. Sure enough, he found himself still as his eyelids drew open. 'Easy enough.' The boy thought. He took a second breath and addressed the passenger:

"Alright asshole, lets figure this out."

"Good. No doubt, Hanji and the others will debrief you about the experiments when you wake up. Lets put our brain power to better use."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"That village. Something turned all of the people in that village into titans."

"That's what Hanji was saying, it matches her theory of all titans being former humans. What would make something like that happen?"

"Well, let's think about it. What are the biggest questions about everything that has happened the past 5 years?"

"Um… I guess; what could be worth causing the slaughter of so many people just to find me?" Eren concluded.

"Alright. So, we know that Berthold, Reiner, and Annie come from a place outside the walls."

"Apparently."

"And there seems to be something out there that can turn people into titans."

"It seems that way, yes." He agreed.

"Maybe they need your ability to control titans to protect themselves."

"Bullshit"

"...Elaborate?"

"How could anyone justify wiping out twenty percent of the human race in hopes of finding me? What if Hannes didn't show up that day? What would it have gotten them if I had died? There is no way they could have known for sure that I would survive!"

Eren suddenly felt intense heat and moisture, and the smell of standard military rations filled his nose. He had aggravated himself awake.

* * *

{This is when they were all on their way to use Armin and Jean as bait for Eren and Historia's kidnappers.}

"Eren! Keep up!" Mikasa said sternly under her breath.

Briefly, he snapped out of his thoughts and closed the distance between him and his friends. If he had to guess, there was still an hour of walking left before him and Historia were to detach from the group at the cabin just outside of Trost.

"Sorry." He replied, upon rejoining the formation.

"We've been worried about you lately, more than usual at least..." Mikasa quipped, in her usual demeanor; to the point and borderline scolding. He liked to imagine her reading out a sentence to a criminal when she spoke.

"Yeah, Eren, it's like your mind has been elsewhere lately." Added Armin.

'Was it so obvious? I've been keeping up on everything...' He thought. 'Maybe two mysteries are too much for me to handle.

'Maybe you just need to control your anger so we can finish our discussions...'

'That voice… Shit, It's not just my dreams anymore. I'm really fucking crazy!' He thought.

'Perhaps. But I'd call it an advantage, two minds are better than one, you know.'

'Talking to the voices in my head doesn't grant me two brains to think wi..'

"Eren! Are you hearing us?!" Mikasa said, jabbing him in the side.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I guess all these new developments have weighed heavy lately. I couldn't make my titan form harden and I've been trying to think of other options ever since. It feels like politics are the least effective route, given what's at stake."

"I know," Said Armin "It seems like a waste of time, but that wall cult and the royal family are keeping things from everyone. Information that could help us gain the upper hand in this fight."

"Yeah," Eren conceded with a sigh. "I guess I just feel useless right now. For some reason I have this ability that can help humanity. Yet, all it's good for right now is the potential for my third kidnapping."

"I think you're just pissed that you can't solve humanity's problems by putting yourself and others in danger, for once." Chimed Jean.

Jean... that asshole. Eren was ready to retort, but as usual, Jean had a point, shitty social skills or not. The Scout Regiment's moves have been relatively straightforward until now. This political approach didn't exactly utilize any of Erens strengths. The biggest role he was to play in this plan was being the bait. He learned the hard way that he needed to take matters into his own hands to spare the lives of people he cared about. But that wasn't an option this time, this made him uneasy.

'Awww, a plan that doesn't revolve around you. What will you do with yourself?' The voice teased.

'Oh Fuck off.'

* * *

{The end of Eren and Historia's discussion while they hid, waiting for Jean and Armin to be kidnapped.}

"...I guess you seem normal, now. Like a stupidly honest, regular person." Eren finished.

With that, Historia's lips twitched out a half smile before returning to a frown, she turned to the window. Eren briefly pondered what she could be thinking about, before he withdrew and laid his head on the table. The only thing for them to do was wait and see if Armin and Jean were taken as bait.

'Seems like a good time for us to pick up where we left off.'

'I miss having my head all to myself' He thought.

'Nonsense, plenty of room in here... So, before you jolted yourself awake before, we were discussing motives. Luckily, that won't be a problem now, you're already awake.'

'I don't have any ideas, and I'll tell you why: There is no cause that makes genocide justifiable.'

'Do you really believe that? That those three shifters inserted themselves undercover for years just to exterminate people who keep away from the outside world? Think! Use some logic for once, consider circumstances that aren't drawn from your own experiences!'

'Think about what!? Who's fucking side are you on? I'm done with this game, it doesn't matter what the enemy's motives are. It's not like we can find common ground with murderers! I'm tired of you clouding my head with things that don't help anyone! You can't explain evil, I'm done listening to you. I GIVE UP!'

'I don't need you to give up, I need you to learn!'

'...A… Annie...'

Silence.

'No. NO!' Eren screamed. 'How are you doing this?! You don't get to reveal yourself and disappear! ANNIE!'

"Eren… What the…" Historia began, wearing a look of fear.

Lost in his anger, the boy had completely forgotten about the girl in the room with him. It took every ounce of willpower for Eren to keep calm as he answered her:

"What?" He asked, clearly annoyed but civilized nonetheless.

"Your.. your eyes. They're glowing…" The girl replied fearfully.

His eyes, indeed, emitted a red glow, faint traces of steam billowed from them as they seemed to burn like hot coals. But Eren could only offer her a confused expression, he couldn't feel any of it. As confusion replaced his anger, Historia watched his eyes return to a normal state.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked, reaching for her forehead with the back of his hand. But the girl scrambled back before any contact was made. "Whoa, hey… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to do that… But, I think you should lie down, you don't look so good."

"Y-Yeah…" She shakily replied. "I must be ill… Sorry Eren."

As he watched the girl make her way to bed at the corner of the room, Eren couldn't help but wonder what was going on with her. The whole exchange was enough to briefly take his mind off his own mental state… Briefly.


	2. 2 Revelations

"From now on, because of that… we might have to take the lives of others. We're not good guys anymore" Armin finished as he weakly lifted himself up and made his way toward the barracks.

"Well, on that uplifting note, I think I'll call it a night too" Said Jean

One by one, everyone but Mikasa and Eren dispersed. Mikasa studied the boy, why couldn't she read him lately? She knew his mind was on something, but what? What could he need to keep from everyone? What could he need to keep from her?

Something lightly grasped her shoulder, Eren's hand. "Lets get some sleep." He mumbled as he stood up and walked toward the doorway.

"I miss Eren…" She called after him.

Eren stopped for a moment, looking back at her with apologetic eyes, and then at the floor. "I'm in there somewhere." He said with a half smile, pointing at his own head. She wasn't amused, but she didn't inquire any further, so he proceeded to his basement.

Upon closing his door, Eren eased into bed and brought his eyes to the ceiling. He played with his basement key, running his fingers along all the dents and scratches accumulated from battle. He briefly thought about how fortunate he had been to not lose it amidst the chaos of late. It's not like he would have noticed it being torn away in the middle of a life-or-death situation. But, it wasn't long before his mind made it's way back to what never left his thoughts.

'Annie... Why?'

Silence. He heard no voice, not even that ghostly presence since he had figured it out. Or had she deliberately given herself away?

'You only left me with more questions. If your mission was to erode my sanity then I'd call it a success. I've tried to play the devil's advocate with you. I couldn't believe that you would do such things, kill so many good people for your own gain. I guess I let my feelings get in the way. It hurts, Annie. Only Armin and myself ever saw the good in you but you threw us away. You threw humanity away... It wasn't enough for you to beat me somatically; you had to push your crusade to a mental frontier as well.

His eyes watered a bit. Never had he been this betrayed by someone he respected so much. Not even Reiner's identity shocked him like she did. She was the embodiment of all the traits he admired, and needed. She knew how and when to use restraint, her emotions were so very well controlled that most of the other 104th trainees fostered doubts of her very sanity. But Eren was never fooled, he saw through her defenses when they fought and liked who she really was. But maybe it was everyone else who saw the writing on the wall.

Eren turned his attention back to his key. Anything to distract himself long enough to fall asleep. He thought about how much better things would become once he could unlock the secrets in that basement. His father, wherever he was, surely left something that could change this fight.

This thought put him at ease. Not long after, his body relaxed enough to drift asleep.

* * *

"I'm here"

"Annie… How are you doing this?"

"Oh, no 'I will kill everyone of you' speech? I thought I was speaking to the Suicidal Bastard"

"You're no longer a threat sealed up underground. I could scream at you until I bleed, or I could learn what everyone in Scout Regimen would want to know."

"How do you think they'll react when you tell them who you've been having late night chats with, and your means to do it?"

"I'll cross that road when i get to it. I'll ask you again, how are you doing this?"

"Staying on track, I'm impressed. I felt you the second you revealed yourself as the Coordinate, every shifter did. I've trained since I was a child to communicate this way."

"Coordinate… You mean when I commanded those titans? How many others can see into my mind like this?"

"You're in possession of the most powerful ability among titan shifters, and you have more dormant abilities than you're aware of. When you used it for the first time, every shifter on the planet was alerted to it, along with the location of the event. That is the drawback of it, every time you use it you'll give away your position to everyone. As we speak, there are shifters headed for the location you last used the ability. It's unlikely that anyone else has trained to link minds with you, the last known coordinate died 100 years ago shortly after the walls were built. But I can teach you how to block your mind once we get you safely to Arrah."

"What…Arrah? How can you take me anywhere? You're locked up underground aren't you?"

"Arrah is where we come from, that's all I can tell you. I haven't been responding because Berthold and Reiner have been helping me escape Wall Rose."

"No... NO! You're not going to do it again. I've already escaped from those two traitors, it isn't happening again!"

"Eren, it's already done."

"What?! Bullshit!"

"You are en route to the rendezvous right now.."

"..."

* * *

So much wind...

'Why can't I move?' Eren thought.

Between his shoulders and feet Eren could barely even twitch, and... it was hot, very hot. His body was drenched in sweat, it was a painful heat. Also, he was moving very quickly, his head was exposed to powerful, constant wind. Even the fastest horse couldn't generate so much wind resistance. As his eye's began to clear and adjust to the dark of night, it dawned on him; his bindings were organic. Gripping him tightly was the hand of a 15 Meter class titan. But who?

"Annie?" He called.

No answer

He tried to get his bearing, surveying his surroundings. They blasted through what appeared to be open plains. The moonlight offered him only fragmented insight to his whereabouts. He couldn't see lights that villages or establishments typically give off in any direction. He turned his attention to his captor. The titan gripped him in its right hand, held against the left shoulder. Eren speculated that holding him that way was for his benefit, as opposed to swinging him back and forth as it ran.

'A kidnapper with manners...Beats riding in Annie's mouth, I guess.' He thought, half chuckling.

Eren peered at the titan's face. Dark hair, about shoulder-length, made it hard to see any details. But it was clearly female, where did she come from? How did she get eren out of the basement? Was anyone hurt or was it a clean extraction? He began to worry about his friends he was being taken from… again.

He set aside his worries for the moment and continued to study his abductor. This was definitely an experienced shifter, she moved with a precision that reminded him of Annie's form. But her features were different… She was armored, with exposed skin at her joints for movement. But, unlike Reiner, her plating appeared black and smooth. The moonlight reflected off her plating at certain angles, it was quite a light show as they tore through the night. Peering at her face didn't offer much detail from where he was. But, he could see that she lacked armor on her head and face.

'I hope she isn't as skilled as Annie' He thought, unsure if he could take down a permanently armored titan with such formidable hand-to-hand skills.

Eren decided that he couldn't expect too many answers along those lines yet. Instead, he decided to focus on something that that could lend him more insight than speculating in the dark.

'If Annie can get into my thoughts, there must be a way for me to see hers...' He thought as he began to clear his mind.

Mikasa had once taught him to meditate while they were trainees. He didn't find it very useful at the time, but he thought it could facilitate this kind of endeavor. It wasn't easy, this mystery shifter only made their movement as smooth as their great speed could allow. But, Eren managed to clear his thoughts enough to focus. He beamed his attention to things that were unfamiliar, even foreign, in his conscience. He concentrated on where her presence seemed to come from when she would speak. Nothing.

'Hmm,' he pondered. 'What if…'

He imagined himself in the dreamscape where they spoke in his sleep. He inspected the usual source of her speech, nothing… He started to walk in that direction, nothing seemed to change, but he pressed on. A few minutes passed, still nothing. Not until he was ready to try something did he see it; a dim light. As Eren approached, the light grew and became brighter. He started to run, brighter and larger as he drew closer! But the colors, they changed and moved, what was this? Soon he realized it was an image, but a moving image? He couldn't get there fast enough, he pushed to a full sprint, propelling himself as fast as his mind could imagine. What he saw when he arrived at the source didn't register immediately.

He could see a fire burning, in a furnace. Below and surrounding it was a wooden floor, the flames danced and flickered an amber aura throughout the room. A room? Suddenly a hand moved across his line of sight and brushed something aside that was partially blocking his view of the right side of room.

Hair... Eren was seeing through Annie's eyes. Before the realization could set in, the image vanished.

'What…'

'I'm impressed, Eren' Boomed a familiar voice.

'Annie. Where are you?'

'We're waiting for you, you're almost here.'

'Who is this titan?!'

'Patience, Eren.'

* * *

The mysterious female titan began to slow down, but her grip remained firm. She clearly wasn't interested in giving Eren the opportunity to transform, at least not until he would be outnumbered. The moonlight outlined the roofline of a small cottage, meaning they were obviously still inside Wall Maria. Through the open front door, the furnace inside dimly lit three figures on the porch. Reiner and Berthold stood at the edge of three steps while Annie leaned against a support beam. They began to approach as his captor came to a stop a few meters from the cottage. She carefully lowered him down while sharply scanning their surroundings for threats. As his feet touched the ground, her digits unravelled swiftly.

"Cold, damn!" He remarked as the outside air made first contact with his skin in hours.

"Yeah, travelling by titan comes with it's perks." Reiner joked as he handed Eren what looked like clothing.

"What is this?" Eren asked, reluctantly taking the offering.

"It's the uniform worn by Warriors of our village, I think you'll find it warmer than your night clothes out here." replied Reiner.

"From Arrah..." Eren muttered, inspecting the garments.

This took Reiner by surprise, his face briefly displayed a look of shock before quickly returning to his usual, confident demeanor.

"Yes" Reiner replied, as he shot a quick glare at Annie.

Eren turned his attention to her as well. She paid him no regard at all, wearing her usual, detached expression, blue eyes cast vaguely to the distance. She wasn't going to look him in the eye without an invitation. Instead, Eren began walking toward the cabin door.

"What the... Hey!" Reiner yelled, looking confused. "What the hell are you doing?"

Eren stopped only long enough to glance over his shoulder and say: "You're all going to convince me why I should cooperate and follow you to Arrah. Why I should abandon my friends and comrades and trust you."

"Eren! What's gotten into you? There's no time for that now, it's not safe out here. We need to keep moving!" Reiner called after him, losing patience.

Without flinching, as he crossed through the threshold and inside, Eren called back: "You'd better get started then."

As Eren set the clothing on the lone table inside and pulled up a chair, everyone couldn't help but wonder who they were looking at. Even Annie's eyes were drawn his way, what set about side of Eren? She decided to take a look for herself. Closing her eyes, focusing, what she stepped into seemed foreign, contrast to the ambience experienced last she 'visited'. With a force that shook her bones, she was cast out, disconnected. She opened her eyes as she a tremor reverberated through her body. Before she could speak a word, a voice…

'NO GAMES.'

While she didn't catch any thoughts, she knew without a doubt that Eren's anger raged inside him. But when self control become a trait of Eren Yeager? This wasn't the boy who would ignite in the absence of sparks, at least not then. As intrigued as she was, Annie knew, above all else, their plans would need to adapt.

Seeing such a reaction from Annie, of all people, made Reiner and Berthold very uneasy. Just as they were about to ask, blue eyes darted in their direction.

"He's… He's figured out how to block me, on his own. You two need to get in there and pull your weight for once."

"I think we could use you in there, Annie." Berthold replied, with an uneasiness in his voice.

"He's furious. Composed, but furious nonetheless. Play by his rules if you have to, but if I go in there he may vent his rage in the way we are all familiar with." Annie retorted.

The two young men looked at each other and nodded before walking into the cabin, shutting the door behind them.

With that, Annie looked up at the quiet shifter.

"Are you gassed?" She asked.

The looming figure's dark eyes met hers and gazed a moment. The titan shook its head and resumed surveying the surroundings.

"Let me know when you need to rest, I'm next in the rotation."

Annie received a slight nod in response. She walked back and sat on the porch, letting out a strong sigh.

* * *

A/N: With the first chapter tying this alternate storyline into the manga, I was able to make things much smoother as the plot unfolded. Hopefully you guys like it, thanks for reading!


	3. 3 Detox

Three young men sat at the table, locked in a silent spectacle of emotions. After about a minute, Reiner finally spoke.

"There is more at stake here than..."

"NO!" Eren barked, "I want Berthold to speak."

Berthold and Reiner exchanged confused looks. Why Berthold? What does it matter who explains the same situation?

"Eren," Berthold began, with unease. "why me? Reiner is better with words, with helping people understand things, you know that."

Awaiting a reply, he peered at the captee, two pools of fiery glass continued to stab him from all angles. This was different, never had they seen Eren in a state of such profound fury. Yet, the young man remained poised and focused, completely in control of himself.

"Exactly, Reiner is the very best person out here when it comes to persuasiveness. But you... You're the only person I've known who displays almost no convictions whatsoever. You follow Reiner around like a lost child. You never go against the grain, you just float and follow, that's it. If you truly believe that what you all have done is for a noble cause, then you will make me understand. Make it make sense, Berthold. If an action is honorable...justifiable, then skillful representation is not needed.

Berthold and Reiner were stunned. But, Eren was correct, and they knew it.

"We have the same enemies, Eren." Berthold began. "You weren't there, at Castle Utgard, but the others saw it... There are titans with intelligence. They are rare, but they are the most dangerous creatures that walk the Earth. They are easily identified from regular titans and shifters. They are covered in fur, like a wild animal, and they typically range between 17 and 25 meters in height. But their size is not what makes them dangerous, they have an ability..."

Berthold paused to gather himself, something clearly haunted him. With a deep breath, he regained his composure and continued as Eren raised an eyebrow.

"They created titans, they're the source. They are the reason that humans are trapped within these walls."

Eren's expression changed, his intensity remained but the defiance in his eyes gave way to equally fierce interest.

"How?" Eren asked quietly.

"No one knows, they just... with only a thought, they somehow transform humans into titans. It doesn't matter how many, if they can see anyone who isn't a shifter, they can turn them. They don't always do it, but if it serves to benefit them, they think nothing of it. They speak our language and can communicate, but have never revealed their ultimate intentions. Much like the titans they spawn, the only clues point to blood lust. They don't identify themselves with names or titles, so Warriors of Arrah just call them imps."

Eren lost himself in thought for a moment, but then his face showed anger once again.

"So you attacked the walls and wiped all those people out on the chance that one of those things found us?! Did it ever occur to you to warn us instead? You took it upon yourself to decide the fate of an entire race! What cou..."

"Eren!" Berthold yelled, a spectacle that stopped Eren in his tracks. "It's not that simple. Until 5 years ago, the royal family and church kept us from warning the population. They've always kept their people in the dark about shifters and imps. They believe that public knowledge of it would weaken their power."

"How" Eren began, this time with subdued rage and growing confusion. "did they stop you from warning anyone? What could they leverage against a legion of shifters?"

"They had us believe that they had the Coordinate under their control. The man who built the walls was a Coordinate who died shortly after they were finished. The church made it appear that his bloodline continued, and thus, the gift was carried on. They warned us that they would use that power to destroy us if we interfered. Three days before the first attack, you were identified as a potential coordinate. This showed us that the officials had been bluffing all along. There can only be one Coordinate at any given time, the existence of a potential Coordinate indicates that no others exist. Messengers were sent to Arrah to deliver the news, but one of them was accosted by an imp. That imp, learning of the potential Coordinate, headed for Wall Maria. Those messengers were Reiner, my brother Isaac, and myself. We discovered Isaac after we had lagged behind, before he died, he warned us what had happened. We were children, Eren, but we had to make a decision. If we didn't do something, the imp would have killed you and begun to turning every living person within the walls into an army of titans. By sacrificing the outer wall, we were able to drive everyone who wasn't eaten away from the imp. This bought us enough time to rally enough shifters and destroy the imp. 14 of them gave their lives in the effort. Reiner and I... we made a decision that weighs on us to this day. I'm sorry about what happened to your mother, I'm sorry about each and every drop of blood on my hands. But we don't have the luxury to mourn, we serve the greater good, even if the results wear the thick blood of sacrifice."

"But... then what happened to make you attack Wall Rose?" Eren asked.

"I'm sorry, but we were never given the reasons behind those orders. We were simply told to begin the exact same assault as on Wall Maria, except to cease the operation when you shifted for the first time. The same goes for the reason we were told not to interfere until you exposed yourself as one of our own. That isn't what you want to hear right now, I can understand that, but the answer awaits us all when we get there."

Eren was puzzled, irritated, and tired. He didn't know how to feel. If what he had listened to was true, his whole perspective on good and evil had just became obsolete. He thought about the possibility of it being a ruse. He could demand proof or evidence, but what could they provide, and how would he verify anything? No, that wouldn't do any good here. Nonetheless, he still had a few questions left to be answered.

"How many more soldiers were killed to get me here?" He asked, not entirely ready for what the answer might be.

"None, it was a clean pull." Berthold answered without hesitation.

"How could you know? Your friend out there hasn't exactly been debriefed."

"You wouldn't be here yet if it couldn't be done without harm to them."

"How are you so concerned with casualties all of the sudden?" Eren snarled.

"Because I made the decision." Reiner chimed in "Our initial orders were overbearingly specific in how he needed to go about extracting you. When they resulted in unsuccessful bloodbaths, I was able to secure commanding control of the mission. This gave me the ability to plan a safe operation that minimized the risk for everyone."

Eren wasn't fully satisfied with the answer, but he could somehow tell that it was honest.

"I have a final question." Eren said, easing his chair backward and standing up. "Are the people I've been taken from going to be safe without me?"

Berthold looked at the table briefly before meeting Eren's gaze.

"I can't guarantee that, Eren. But I can tell you what I know. You will be in a better position to help everyone you care about if you come with us and learn to control your gift. The church wants to use you for their own gains, but we need you for our survival. Wherever you go, danger will follow until you're strong enough to put an end to it. Anything else I can't pretend to know."

Eren closed his eyes and tilted his head rearward. Seconds felt like minutes to the other two young men, but to Eren, time would never wait. A minute passed and he lowered his head and opened his eyes.

* * *

The stars were a sight that Annie rarely appreciated. But on this night they stood out to her. Despite the situation unfolding behind her, the risk of a titan encounter, and the journey ahead of them, she found a moment of peace under a sea of lights. Her face felt strange, she was smiling. And just like that, the moment had come and gone. She wasn't meant to smile. Smiling was for people with goodness in them. Smiling was for people who deserved to be happy. A smile couldn't fit the face of a killer. She couldn't allow herself that which she didn't deserve.

The cabin door creaked open, spilling the orange glow onto Annie's back. She turned to meet who loomed behind her. First Reiner, who proceeded past her and down the steps. Next was Berthold, who stopped to acknowledge her with a half smile before following Reiner's path. Eren stopped next to her on the porch, neither ignoring her or returning her eye contact. Nothing needed to be said, he was wearing the Arrai uniform given to him, he had made his choice.

"So how do we proceed from here?" Eren asked.

"We start now," Annie replied. "We're behind schedule thanks to your hissy fit."

Eren let out a semi sincere chuckle.

"If I was unwilling; sure, you'd likely still get me there, but I promise that the journey would be anything but timely."

Annie considered a retort, but he wasn't wrong. The two of them descended the steps and joined Reiner and Berthold.

* * *

A/N: Kind of a short chapter this time because it just flows better with this part on its own. Thank you guys so much for the follows and reviews, it keeps me writing!


	4. 4 Unknown

As he approached, Eren felt a barrier. He opened his eyes, from his peripheral he could see Annie glance over at him. She knew what he had just done, she had assumed the defensive from the moment he discovered how to find her. He wanted to know her, but he knew that nobody had ever gotten that far. But that wasn't what bothered him, he had long accepted her reluctance of letting other people in. What hurt was that he knew that she hid something beautiful from the world. Eren hated that he had ever figured it out, it wasn't something a person could willfully forget. Apathy was all that anyone else could see in her, but Eren saw a tortured soul.

As he began to withdraw, he felt the barrier slip away. He opened his eyes again to find her looking directly into them. Somewhat startled, he noted her expression; her standard, detached demeanor was masking something else. It was subtle, but he could see her genuine interest in whatever he came to say. He accepted her invitation as he closed his eyes.

'Welcome back.' She thought.

This time he heard her actual voice in his head, instead of the hollow shell he had reluctantly grown accustomed to. He knew this was merely because he knew it was her now, but it still felt like another wall had crumbled between them.

'I'd apologize, but can you blame me?' He replied.

'Not really… What has bothered us most is the way you've changed.'

'Changed? How?'

'It's like you learned to control yourself overnight… People rarely undergo changes like that over a lifetime, let alone days.'

'I didn't really think about it until now.' He answered.

'How could you not notice a change like that in yourself?' Demanded Annie.

'It just kind of happened, I guess. I realized that I am alone out here, for once in my life I have to rely solely on myself for survival. I don't have Mikasa to watch my back anymore, so I have to control myself now. I don't have Armin to come up with a plan in a bind anymore, so I have to think things through on my own. Even Jean, without someone willing to say what I don't want to hear, I have to be willing to consider the worst possible outcome of everything. I can't fill the shoes of my friends, but I must do my best. I must survive and master this power if I ever want to see my friends again. I still want to destroy every last titan on this world, just as badly as I ever have. But I have a responsibility now. Revenge is not my sole source of fuel, I will use everything at my disposal to protect humanity.'

Annie understood what he meant by being alone. She would feel the same way in his position, she felt the same way always. But somehow, it still hurt to hear it from him.

'I see.'

'You're in pain, Annie.'

'What?' The girl demanded, almost forgetting to stifle the surprise in her voice.

'Not just right now, but always. I don't think anyone else can see it, so don't worry. You're strong, Annie, you carry it well, but I can see that it's an immense weight.'

Annie paused momentarily before she spoke.

'So what then, are you here to save me from myself then?' She barked, liberal on the venom.

'Nope.' Eren replied, unfazed. 'Whatever the reason, it's your decision to let no one in. You'll likely take your true identity to the grave, that's how strong you are. It's not my place to tell you how to live. This is just me saying that I can see you.'

Neither of them said anything else. A tremor ran through them, Eren looked back. He saw what looked like a two-meter-high fence fading as they continued through the night.

'Must've jumped.' He thought to himself.

He took a moment to admire the ingenuity of the harness he was wearing. Leather bindings similar to those on the 3D Maneuvering gear harness secured him firmly to the main two straps. There was a clever buckle across his chest that the others had instructed him to pull in the event of emergency egress. The main two straps were secured around the circumference of the armored female's neck. Him and Annie were harnessed on the left side of her neck while Berthold and Reiner were on the right. They all sat on their respective shoulder while the harnesses offered stability as the titan moved about. It gave Eren a certain uneasiness to be oriented to the side as they traveled. But, it didn't really matter. He just gazed at the moon as they made their way onward.

* * *

Eren's eyes were irradiated by dawn's amber warmth rather rudely. Why did his head hurt so badly, and what lumpy mess was he lying on? As he drew his head up to investigate, his heart sank. He was still attached to the harness they had been riding in, but it was on the ground. Berthold, Reiner, and Annie all lied motionless, still attached as well. Eren quickly reached over and checked Annie's pulse.

'Good, alive.' He thought, as he unstrapped himself from his harness.

He scrambled up so that he could check Berthold and Reiner, who were lying face-down just outside arms reach. Both of them were alive as well. Eren shifted his focus to his surroundings; tall grass and very few trees. The grass offered good cover, it was around one meter tall, he began to stand up to peer over it.

'Now where's…..' Before he could finish the thought, he saw it.

50 meters away, it looked like at 10 titans, all converged around something. Four 15-meters, three 7-meters, and three 3-meters. Wait, one of the 15-meter types was...

'The armored female!' Eren thought.

He looked down at the others, but they were each still unconscious. Without another thought, Eren brought his hand to his mouth. It was up to him to help her. But, before he could bite into his flesh, a thunderous crack erupted from amidst the mesh of giants. Each of the titans were ejected from their prey as they followed the shockwave from the center. At ground zero, the armored female stood for a moment, her eyes fixated on Eren. This shocked him, why had she allowed them all to attack if she was capable of that? Then it hit him:

'She was distracting them all until one of us woke up' He thought.

Of course! In order to dispatch her attackers, she'd have to take her eyes off of everyone and leave them vulnerable to attack. She used herself as bait until someone woke up and could protect the others if need be. As if to confirm Eren's conclusion, the armored female promptly lowered her stance and turned attention to the nearest titan. The first one to recover was a 7-meter type, it was limping but still approached with a quickness. She swiftly swung her leg around, taking the attacker's limbs from beneath and sending it's upper half violently downward. Before it's head could hit the ground, her elbow had merged with it's neck. They both met the ground with a force that completely severed the titan's head and destroyed the neck, nape and all. Before the tremors of the impact made their way through Eren's legs, the armored female had bounced back to her feet just as two of the 15-meter types converged on her.

She swiftly danced around the nearest titan, sending it into a collision with the other. Just as they both recoiled from the impact, her hands were firmly latched onto the napes of their necks. Next, she leapt from the ground, placed a foot on each titan's rib cage, and tore both napes out with explosive force. Steaming blood shot out in a visual fanfare as she descended onto an approaching 3-meter type, stomping its entire face and neck into the ground with the heel of her right foot. Her left foot only met the ground long enough for her to launch into the air once more, toward the remaining two 3-meter types. With the same precision as before, her right foot laid waste to another head and neck. As she settled into her landing, her left leg swung around to meet the last 3-meter type. The titan's upper half turned completely to fine red mist and steam as it met her shin.

Eren could only stare in awe as he watched her dispatch her attackers. He had never seen another shifter defend itself with such finesse, such efficiency. Each and every blow was final, there was no fight here, only a slaughter.

Her next victim was the remaining 15-meter type, it had just reached full speed as she leapt into the air yet again. She was orienting herself for a kick, body parallel with the horizon. But she instead sailed clear over her victim, reaching back and grabbing another fist-full of flesh. This time, the titan's momentum did all the work, tearing itself away from it's own nerve cluster. Yet again, the armored female came to a landing as the next titan arrived. Rather than discard the severed nape in her hand, she tossed it into her attacker's face. Briefly blinded, the titan didn't see her fist as it dealt a blow that scattered ever more head and neck fragments across the landscape. The last remaining foe, another 7-meter type could only continue to crawl in her direction, as her first offensive had severed one of its legs. She calmly walked over and stomped it's neck into the ground, a casual finale to a spectacular blood bath.

The armored female paused a moment, despite her amazing poise in battle, it had clearly exhausted her. She drew in a deep breath and proceeded toward Eren and the others. No sooner than Eren had gathered himself, he noticed something wrong with the approaching shifter. She had begun to drag her feet more with each stride. Suddenly the armored female collapsed before him, her head landing 10 meters away from the group. The massive body began to burn up, she was completely gassed. As Eren ran toward the fallen warrior he remembered that she had been in titan form the entire night. To still have energy for a fight like that after travelling all night boggled his mind.

He quickly mounted the titan's back and watched as the nape burned away to reveal the shifter within. Eren's heart rate soared, his eyes widened, and his mouth hung deep. Dark hair blew in the smoke-filled wind, but hair resembling the titan form came as no surprise to him.

What Eren didn't expect to see was the red scarf.

* * *

A/N: So now things should be getting interesting. I should forewarn that I start my new job on monday, so these rapid updates will probably dwindle down to 1 or 2 chapters per weekend. Sorry!

Anyway, here's some shout-outs to the reviewers:

Unblockabletree4: Hopefully this chapter puts your worries about OC characters ;) I sent you a PM about your questions.

Kamil the Awesome: When I saw that you had called it on Mikasa, I regretted the detail I went into describing the titan. The feedback helped me tone down the clues for twists and turns in the future. As for the beast titan, it's honestly the way I see the manga going with things once all the boring Historia Reisse stuff is out of the way (Hopefully soon).

Ryu Hizume: Thanks! I wanted to add a cerebral element to it all. It's easier to add character depth with internal monologue and dialog, for me anyway.

And to all the reviewers in general, thank you! Feedback and criticism, I crave it!

Also, I went back and combed Ch1, corrected a few things and made it a bit easier to follow.


	5. 5 Closer

The first to wake up was Berthold, his confusion only intensified as he pieced together where he was. His attention turned to Reiner lying next to him, he frantically placed two fingers on the young man's neck. Before he could feel a pulse, a voice called out to his relief.

"Everyone's alive, just knocked out." Eren's Voice...

Berthold picked his head up to investigate the source of the voice. Tall grass obstructed his sight, but through it he could see Eren, staring at the ground. Berthold released himself from his harness and stood, noting Annie's whereabouts before returning his attention to Eren. He wasn't particularly surprised to see Mikasa laid out next to where Eren was sitting. Eren's face looked lifeless, without pain or sorrow, simply uninhabited. He lowered and sat next to him.

"She's the strongest person I've ever met," Berthold began. "But she couldn't bring herself to face you. She must have gassed herself staying in titan form for so long, we're lucky you weren't knocked out."

"I was." Eren replied, almost in her defense. "She distracted a group of them until I woke up, then she took them all out with the last of her stamina that remained".

Minutes passed in silence, Eren finally spoke again.

"Why didn't you tell me in the cabin, you knew I would find out eventually." His voice was detached, monotone.

"She wanted to tell you herself, even if it killed her. She's like you, Eren, not a borne shifter. We don't know how you both did it, but we can tell that you were humans before somehow turning."

Eren's eyes begun to burn with life again, he lifted his head up straight and looked to Berthold. The colossal shifter looked genuinely confused, what did this mean? Eren thought back to those vague memories of his father, after the fall of Wall Maria. He couldn't remember much, but he knew that his father had something to do with his abilities. Could it be that Mikasa had a similar encounter? Or was it before the fall… how much did she remember of whatever happened? But far more importantly:

"Was she involved in the wall breaches?" Eren asked, visibly fearful of what Berthold might say.

"No… We don't know much about her at all, actually." Berthold answered, seeming troubled.

"I don't understand, how are you all working together then?" Eren asked.

"She came to us after Annie was caught, she was the reason Reiner came out and told you about our origins on top of the wall. She didn't fatally kill us with her blades because it forced us to transform. We didn't trust her so she forced our hand, she wanted us to take you right then and there. What none of us can figure out is why she fought so hard to take you back to the Survey Corps. She scares the shit out of us, her titan form is among the most dangerous that we have seen. Annie and Reiner would never admit it, but I see it in their faces. I hope she answers all of your questions when she wakes up, because we have plenty of our own for her."

"The mess gets worse faster than I can figure anything out. It was far simpler when the titans were the enemy." Eren said.

"They still are, in fact…" Berthold paused to quickly visually sweep their surroundings. "We need to move soon. It isn't safe out here in the open in daylight, we were meant to find shelter before dawn."

"So where then?"

"We aren't far from Shiganshina District, I can see the wall on the horizon. There are plenty of places to hide there. I'm afraid we don't have time to wait for the others to wake up. My titan form would draw too much attention and it's very slow, it seems that it falls on you to take us the rest of the way." Said Berthold

"Shiganshina…" Eren mumbled, looking to the horizon.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Eren, but it's the closest district to the direction we need to go when we leave Wall Maria." Berthold reasoned.

"No.. It's good." Eren said, almost in a trance, tracing the outline of his key through his shirt. "I know where we will be safe there…"

* * *

Annie awoke to a pounding head and the sensation of movement. It was never a good sign when she couldn't remember falling asleep. A large shadow loomed above her, it was moving slightly, in a rocking pattern. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw that the figure in question was Eren's titan form. A sense of comfort swept through her, which intensified as she saw the way he cradled her in his hand. It was a feeling so foreign to her, but she felt safe, like she could allow her guard to fall, like she could relax. Almost…

She sat up to assess the situation, something must have happened to knock her unconscious. Annie occupied his right hand, she peered over to find Mikasa asleep in his left. She briefly wondered about the others before seeing Berthold and Reiner, both perched on Eren's left shoulder. By that time, her movement had caught Eren's attention. Their eyes met for a moment, despite his titan's lack of facial cues, she could feel a sense of relief from him without the need to invade his thoughts.

Eren gracefully lifted the girl up to join the the others, she dusted herself off before hopping over. Reiner had extended a hand, but as usual, she opted to manage on her own.

"What happened?" Annie said coldly.

"Well," Reiner began. "Nobody remembers how we were dropped, but it's a good guess that Mikasa was attacked. Berthold woke up before we left the scene, he say that the harness was torn off her neck, not unfastened."

"I knew she couldn't keep that up, that bitch put us all in danger because she couldn't face Eren. I could have gotten us to Shiganshina before daybreak." Annie scolded, looking down at Mikasa.

Eren let out a slight growl, as if to remind them how close they were to his ears. But this didn't faze Annie in the slightest, but Berthold spoke up:

"Well, she may or may not have been at fault initially. But, from what Eren told me, she kept about 10 titans away from us. He said that she just stood there and let them latch onto her, who knows for how long. Then, when Eren woke up, she obliterated each one before she ran out of energy and collapsed."

Annie almost seemed to ignore what Berthold said, instead she sat down and closed her eyes.

'I'm sorry that we couldn't tell y...'

'Berthold already told me.' Eren interrupted.

'Oh… good. I'm sure it's hard to deal with.'

'Honestly, Annie, nothing else can surprise me. Nothing at all. There is absolutely nothing that could ever shatter my world more than what I found out today. Is much as I feel betrayed, I have stronger feelings that it can only get better from here.' Eren corrected.

There was a brief pause before Annie replied.

'You're in pain, Eren.'

Eren's titan drew in a deep breath and released a heavy sigh. They both relished in the silence, nothing else needed to be said. They all simply looked ahead at the approaching wall, at Reiner's handiwork.

* * *

Just outside the hole lied Eren's smoke-ridden titan. Reiner had insisted that it was safer to travel on foot and only shift if threatened. This made sense to Eren, but it didn't put him in any sense of comfort either. As his titan's nape opened, he felt cool air pour over him. It was strange, it never felt warm inside until it was time to separate. He pulled the tissue from his face, it never seemed to get any easier. The longer he remained titan, the more it felt like ripping his own skin away. To his surprise, he collided with something as he sat up. Eren began to contemplate what the obstruction could be until he felt hands on his shoulder.

"Annie.." He muttered as he ripped his left arm free.

Once fully freed, he turned to meet his help. There was a breeze that pushed her bangs from her face. The morning sun seemed to strike her perfectly, he always had known her to be pretty but something seemed different. The pain in her eyes bled entirely into his view every time he saw her. It was a tragic beauty that seemed to captivate him a greater degree every day. He wanted to solve her pain, he wanted her to solve his.

"Um, thanks Annie." He said, looking down.

Her head shot to the right and away, an effort to hide her blush.

Berthold and Reiner, holding Mikasa, stood a few meters away from them.

"Wow" Said Reiner, "You'd think she had a soul if we didn't know better."

Berthold could only nod as he scratched his head, they both waited as Eren and Annie made their way over. Eren headed straight for Reiner, arms extended.

"I'll take her." He said

"Are you sure? You should probably take it easy so fresh out of your titan.." Reiner advised.

"I'm fine. I'm sure you have a few more issues with her than I do at the moment anyway."

Reiner said nothing, which was confirmation in its own right. Eren took a knee in front of Reiner, who transferred the girl to Eren's shoulders. With Mikasa secured, Eren promptly stood up, scanned their surroundings for titans, and headed toward the hole. The rest of them followed closely, prepared of whatever awaited them in Shiganshina.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the length. It was supposed to be the longest chapter yet, but I start my job tomorrow and won't have so much free time any more. So expect another chapter by next Sunday night. Big things await in Shiganshina... :D


	6. 6 Sleepless

The travelers were impressed by how well-preserved Shiganshina was. Apart from the damage sustained by the initial assault, the only striking difference was debris littering the streets and the light coat of moss over anything shaded from the sun. Nature was hard at work reclaiming the area, but it would take far more than three years.

They had made their way to the nearest set of alleys to the gate which they came. Reiner had taken point, followed by Eren with Mikasa, Annie, then Berthold. At each intersection of alleys, Reiner would peak around both corners before motioning for the others to move across with him. After four intersections, Reiner stooped to peer through a basement window.

"Here, the basement has many rooms, we'll be safe here for the day." Reiner quietly announced.

"No." Said Eren "I have somewhere else in mind."

Reiner looked up at him, puzzled and slightly irritated.

"What are you going on about? Every minute we spend above ground is a risk, Eren!" Reiner warned.

"No, Eren has that key to his father's basement, remember?" Said Berthold.

"I think there is information in there that we can all benefit from. It could explain why my father turned me into this.. and Mikasa…" Eren trailed off.

"How far is it, Eren?" Annie asked.

Eren looked around, everything he remembered to be so vibrant and teeming with life seemed so hollow. It pained him to see the setting of his greatest, most peaceful memories in such he still knew exactly where he was.

"Not far, a few minutes and we can be there." Eren finally answered.

"Alright fine," Reiner conceded. "Lets hurry, I don't like how quiet it is here."

The group moved on quickly and smoothly through the maze of alleys. They didn't so much as hear the distant foot falls of a titan. Eren wanted to take solace in that fact, but instead it terrified him. Nonetheless, he and the others continued to cover ground swiftly. Eren eventually led them to an outlet into a large road. Reiner was first to peer around the corners, signalling that the coast was clear. But Eren looked straight ahead, nowhere else. He had only seen it that way for a matter of minutes, but the level of detail he had retained put him firmly in his darkest memory. Eren could only stand and watch the fateful moment replay before his dampening eyes.

Reiner and Berthold both fought their instincts to console him, they knew very well they were the two worst people for the task. Annie kept her distance as well, sensing that the young man just needed a moment. Shortly thereafter, sure enough, Eren took a breath and turned to Reiner.

"I need you to take Mikasa while I go find the entrance." He said.

Reiner nodded and carefully took the girl from Eren. Before anyone could say anything, Eren was making his way across the street. He wasn't careless, he maintained situational awareness, but his emotions were nonetheless unyielding. He walked around the the rubble, making his way to toward the basement side of the site. As he walked, he could see where where everything once stood. He saw the table where his family would sit every morning. He saw the morning light streaking through the Eastern windows into the kitchen. He saw his father, Mikasa, and himself at the table, his father reading a story from one of his books. And at the kitchen sink, looking back at them, there she was… But, she wasn't looking at them. No, her compassionate and caring smile was directed at him. He was sure that his stomach was being twisted to shreds inside him, it wasn't entirely clear to him how he could still be standing.

He couldn't breath as the images before him capitulated to reality. He let a sob escape before regaining his composure. Eren surveyed the ruins, and right in front of him was what he had come so far for. Atop the entrance was splintered wood that had once held up his childhood home, but nothing that couldn't be moved. But something else drew his attention at that point; embedded in a splinter of a support beam, fluttering in the cool breeze, was a shred of fabric. The young man approached and liberated the material to inspect it. Suddenly his heart was pulled into a void where no light could reach, he knew what he held in his hand. Tears wouldn't be contained anymore, they advanced down his face with an authority. Eren fell to his knees, clinching the segment of his mother's shirt tightly as he looked to the clouds.

Minutes passed and he could only seem to relive the day over and over. He was far too awash in his state to notice a guest had joined his thoughts.

'Eren, don't move!' The presence called.

He snapped out of it enough to check his surroundings, he looked left, right, and ahead; nothing. Slowly, he turned his head around to see what Annie warned him of. Slowly traipsing along a road perpendicular to his was a 10-meter class titan. It hadn't seen Eren and seemed intent to stay its course and not become a threat. But Eren wasn't thinking logically, freshly and painfully reminded of vendetta made long ago, he stood up. Reiner and Berthold couldn't understand what he planned to do, but Annie knew immediately.

'Don't do it Eren!' Annie implored. 'You'll draw out every titan in Shiganshina! We don't need that.'

But Eren moved neither hand to his face, he only stood and stared. But something was happening, his tears were dried.. or were they? No, they had evaporated; steam was beginning to emanate from his eyes. It wasn't a particularly windy day, but the others noticed Eren's clothing and hair were beginning to move about as if strong gusts surrounded solely him. His eyes began to give off an amber glow, like hot coals, they radiated intense heat.

Suddenly Annie understood what was happening, and it wasn't looking good.

'Eren! You don't know what you're about to do! It is very dangerous, stop!' Annie pleaded.

But Eren gave no reply, he didn't so much as acknowledge her presence, but he hadn't blocked her out either. Instead, he remained still and focused on the passing titan. His eyes were the focal point of the chaos that surrounded him. Flames were beginning to pour from them and whip about his face at the mercy of the wind. Reiner and Berthold also knew the danger of what Eren was about to do. They began to run the way they had come in the alleys, before looking back at Annie.

"We need to get out of here! He'll kill us all, Annie." Berthold called back at her.

Annie said nothing, instead closing her eyes.

'Eren, you're putting us in danger right now. You're going to kill us, Mikasa included… Please, take control, you're letting your emotions rule you. I know what's going through your head, but this won't be worth it. We have a bigger fight!'

But in Eren's eyes, the burning inferno continued to rage. That was it, he couldn't be reasoned with, he was at the mercy of his own rage. He had come a long way, but he was still Eren Yeager; the boy in a hurry to die. Annie could only stand and watch what would be the last thing she'd ever see.

"Annie! Come on! You're dead right there!" Reiner yelled to her.

But she knew that there was no escape, they wouldn't get far enough to survive what was coming. So she ignored Reiner's plea, instead, she addressed Eren once more.

'I'm sorry we hurt you… I'm sorry _I hurt you_. Goodbye Eren.'

She welcomed death, at least at the time. She felt as if her suffering could end, as if she could finally let her guard down and watch something beautiful as her life slipped away. Annie couldn't help but smile at the boy across the road, her feelings had grown far beyond respect for him. He was everything she was never allowed to be, his presence always seemed to remind her what it looks like to truly be alive. He was a window into what her life could have been, and she couldn't think of anyone better to be the last person she would see. Not even her father...

But instead, as if a switch were flipped, Eren fell to his knees once more, still gripping what remained from his mother. Flames turned to steam, steam faded soon after, and the wind surrounding the boy calmed. He buried his face in the torn cloth and begun to cry silently.

Fortunately, the titan hadn't noticed the disturbance to its left and had continued onward, out of sight. Annie, upon shaking her nerves, surveyed the rest of the area before running to Eren, stooping down close by.

"It's right there, just give me a second." He said, between sobs.

But Annie paid no attention to the basement he pointed at, instead looking only to him.

"Thank you," She finally said.

Eren began drying his tears and collecting himself before gazing back at her.

"When we last fought, in the Stohess District…" Eren began. "Why did you run away after you took me down?"

Annie paused a moment, a look of confusion made a brief appearance in her eyes.

"Let's get inside, before any more titans show up" She finally said.

* * *

"Fuck!" Eren yelled, his fists landing on the empty desk.

Annie could only imagine how shitty it was for him. To spend so much time in anticipation only to find nothing. She scanned dark basement for any signs of information, but it was completely empty. It was as if it had been deliberately cleared out at some point in the last three years. Had someone been there first, or had it been empty all along? The only thing remaining in the room was a desk, some loose papers, and a few candles. There was a small furnace down there, but smoke could attract the wrong attention in broad daylight. So she retrieved the candles and set about lighting and placing them around the room.

After a half hour of searching, they had all given up. The others began preparing to get some sleep but Eren sat in silence, his back against the wall. Annie looked around the room, Berthold and Reiner had already assumed their sleeping arrangements and had shut their eyes. Her attention shifted to Mikasa, who hadn't moved an inch since being laid out in her own corner of the room. Finally, she returned to Eren, sitting beside him looking at the same spot on the floor that he did. Neither of them spoke, aloud or otherwise. They simply sat as a symphony of snores took shape around them.

"I was afraid…" Annie finally said

Eren was almost startled by the break in the white noise. He was no less surprised to find an expression that she had never shown him before. It was real pain in her eyes, and it took him no amount of effort to see it. It was as if he was looking at Annie Leonhart for the first time. Little did he know how true that was, but he could only ask:

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to go home." She continued, not once breaking eye contact. "I was tired of killing.. I _am _tired of killing. I didn't have any trouble doing it, at first, but then I began to live among the horrors I had caused. I tried to keep my distance, I tried to make no attachments. But, you can't endure so much with people without learning about who they are. And you can't understand people without respecting, even liking them. Nothing could have prepared me for it... for what I had to do to the people I couldn't help but care about. I have nightmares, day or night, asleep or awake, it doesn't matter. I just see faces, expressions on each face I've stolen life from."

Annie's eyes grew murky, she knew that Eren could see it, but she continued:

"I saw the pain in your titan's eyes as we fought, you weren't fighting me to avoid capture, you only thought of the ones I've hurt… I couldn't take it. Every blow I dealt to your head hurt so much, but I wanted to stop you long enough to get away. I… I just wanted to go home, Eren. I didn't care about my mission, I didn't care about becoming a Warrior, I just wanted to leave before I had to kill anymore."

She stared through his green windows to the world, looking for his state of mind. He simply looked back blankly, as if too bewildered to speak. She felt like she might have to explain further, but before she could elaborate:

"You could never understand the pain you've caused, Annie.." Eren said, unflinching.

Each word sliced through Annie's soul, she couldn't breath. She wanted to look away, but she knew that she deserved it. She had to face the truth, even if it came from Eren Yeager.

"You've killed more people than I can even gather memories for." Eren continued as tears began to reduce the stricken girl before him to a blur. "Eld...Gunther...Oluo…..Petra… They all meant only to carry out their duty, an order to protect me from...you."

Annie could contain her tears no longer. With a gasp, her sobs made their way over her walls as well. But she didn't look away, she had to take it, she deserved the pain.

"I hated you for it, I vowed to rid you from the Earth. My heart hurts to this day from it, but…"

'But?!' She thought. Eren paused to wipe more tears away and clear his nose, it felt like her life could pass her by as she waited. She wanted to shake the rest out of him with by his shoulders.

"Annie… I.."

'What!? What is it' She screamed in her thoughts, the suspense ate at her like an insect beneath her skin.

"I… forgive you…" Eren finally said between sobs.

"You're just another soldier following orders, Annie. It's taken me a while to fully grasp what is going on, but I finally understand. I'll never forget the look on your face when you saw the people crushed under you in that church. The church that I knocked you into… It took me a long time to come to terms with that, those innocent lives I took when I became too focused on my mission. I forgive you, Annie, but you need to forgive yourself. It isn't easy, but I've learned to do it, I owe those people who have died because of me. I can't make it right if I let it distract me, I know that those lives aren't in vain if I can save even more."

It was too much, her sobs were becoming uncontrollable, she needed to be alone. The girl stood up and headed straight for the door, and before Eren could protest, she had already closed it behind her.

Annie hadn't made it to the steps before she collapsed to her knees, looking upward as she cried openly to the world for the second time in her life. The Afternoon sun sent rays that pierced through the scattered wood and debris above her. The light danced through the dust she had kicked up and kissed her face, her tears reflecting it in all directions. She could almost enjoy the beauty of her surroundings, until she heard the door behind her quietly close.

Eren, damn him, couldn't he take a hint? She rose to her feet and began to turn, preparing to demand her solitude. But rather, her lips confronted a barrier before they could speak. Eren had his arms around the girl before she knew what was happening. She wanted to push him away, but she didn't. She could have put him on the ground, but she didn't. The truth was, she didn't want it to stop, and above all else, she hadn't realized before how much she needed it.

Slowly, one hand came to rest on Eren's back, then the other. Next, her lips began to mimic his. She had never kissed anyone before, but it all came so naturally. His smell was what one would expect of a traveler on a long journey, but to her, it only amplified the comfort she drew from him. Their tears mingled as their cheeks occasionally collided. For once in her life, if only for a moment, everything was perfect.

After a few moments, Eren brought the kiss to a close but brought Annie closer, to a tight embrace. He felt so warm to her, she couldn't understand why, but it brought her a comfort she had never felt before. She muffled her sobs into his shoulder, but he only held her tighter. Time passed, but even when her tears had run dry, she didn't let go.

Neither one of them had anything left to say, they both had exactly what they needed, at exactly the right time. They continued until they both grew tired of standing and proceeded back inside. Upon entrance, the dark room offered Annie a stark reminder of how tired she was. Her eyes studied Eren, who seemed to be undergoing the same realization.

Without hesitation Eren found a place on the floor to sleep and lied back. Annie immediately noticed that the spot he chose left only enough room for her to lie next to him. But, she didn't see it as manipulation, no, it was an invitation. She didn't lie next to him, she placed an arm over his waist and her head on his chest, she accepted. In turn, he brought an arm under and around her small frame. Annie wasn't sure what any of it would mean in the morning, but it didn't matter. She just wanted to be close to the strange boy who made her feel like she didn't always have to be alone.

They both lied still, preparing for slumber to take them away. Eren had only one final thought, which he voiced after delivering a goodnight kiss to the girl's forehead.

"I'm sorry I dragged us here, I thought we would finally learn something worth knowing."

Before Annie could respond, someone else spoke up.

"Did you check the furnace?"

They both sat up, startled and confused.

"Mikasa.."

* * *

A/N: Whew! What a hard chapter to write! Spent more time refining this one as well, kissing scenes are new for me so go easy! Not to mention how difficult it has been to string out Annie and Eren's tension, I felt Annie's walls would need a few chapters to start chipping away. Hopefully the next one will be easier to write, without spoiling anything; I'll have plenty of mysteries to choose from to reveal :)

In response to unblockabletree's advice:

1. Yeah, that's a difficult area for me, because some things I intentionally leave the reader in the dark, other things I neglect. It's something I'm hopefully improving on with every chapter.

2. I went a little overboard in some areas, but I also wanted to paint an exact picture to help the reader follow along as the battle progressed. It's safe to say I'll be looking for a better middle ground next time around.

3. For character separation, I see what you mean, but I just won't always be able to do that 100%. For instance this last chapter, the second half is mostly from Annie's perspective but I had to throw in a few takes from Eren's point of view in order to properly illuminate what I want the reader to pick up on a the right time. Best I can promise here is to try my best to minimize any confusion it may bring about.

But yeah, criticism is always welcome, this is my first story… ever. I'm finding that ideas are easy, the hard part is showing a reader what you see in your head.

Anyways, thanks for reading, guys and girls!


	7. 7 Strangers

"You pricks!" Yelled Reiner, eyes only half open. "I had just gotten her pants off and…"

The stout young man stopped dead in his tracks as he made note of three pairs of eyes he had earned a glare from. He picked up the solemn atmosphere and deemed his interrupted sleep a lesser priority.

"What's happening?" He finished.

Reiner was simply ignored as everyone sans Berthold, still quite asleep, continued from the interruption.

"Go on…" Mikasa urged, eying Eren in particular.

Eren was stupefied. Sure, he knew she would wake up eventually, but somehow he was unprepared. Above all else, he couldn't decide what he wanted more badly at that moment: Answers to his overwhelming questions or what was in that furnace? He looked down at the brick floor, trying to lose himself in the network of cracks that lined the grout. Anything to clear his head long enough to calm himself down. He felt like he could strangle Mikasa as easily as hug her.

He looked over to Annie, to his surprise; she was fixated on the floor. Eren found it odd, this was far different than her usual, disinterested and distant stare. She was showing discomfort - outwardly - but why? It wasn't fear, was it?

Finally, Eren decided to shrug it all and started with the first question that came to mind.

"Why?"

Mikasa showed nothing; no flinch, no countenance at all. She simply kept her sights locked on Eren, without offering Annie or the still-confused Reiner so much as a glance.

"Why what?" She asked plainly, pushing Eren's newly advanced patience too far.

"What the fuck do you think?!" Eren screamed as he leapt to his feet.

The outburst left a wake of shock in the room; startling Reiner, attracting Annie's gaze, and jolting Berthold wide awake. Berthold clearly wasn't piecing together the situation but, despite his state, he knew better than to ask. But Mikasa, none too surprisingly, was unfazed. She merely released a quick sigh and spoke.

"I know you think I betrayed you, Eren. I also know better than to try and convince you otherwise. But I promise you that by doing as I ask, you'll find clearer answers than I can offer."

"As you ask…" Eren hissed, unconvinced.

"The furnace, Eren." Mikasa gently reminded.

"Mikasa.." Eren whispered, beginning to give off a manic, tortured energy. "I don't give a shit what is in that furnace until I hear some answers from _you._ Whatever is in there isn't going anywhere in the meantime. I'm sure… that I can find a way to forgive you for this….." Eren paused, fighting back tears. He wanted to look at Annie, he felt her there but it was as if his hand would touch nothing if he reached out. "But I can't do that if you don't tell me anything."

At that point he ensconced, a few rogue tears had hastily traced his face as he looked at the one person he thought he knew. Sure, forgiveness would be easy with time, but some things can never be fully repaired. Eren's heart sank as he finally had to face the fact that all his adopted...no, his _sister_ was gone… she never really existed. All he had were memories of a fiercely loyal sibling whom he suddenly could never be sure was real.

Eren, consumed in inner turmoil, didn't even notice that his thoughts carried a passenger. He felt a hand meet his knee, he looked over to see Annie's expression. Sorrowful… she didn't need to speak a word, she felt his pain. She saw and felt it all and in that moment, her eyes told him that she understood, that she wanted to spare him such pain.

However, neither of them could appreciate the humanity before Mikasa had stood up and opened the furnace. Eren couldn't speak, he felt like she heard nothing he had to say. But pain stood in place of anger, Eren Yeager had run out of anger... All he could do was watch her

Mikasa pulled out a leather pouch in a swift manner that seemed to indicate that she had known exactly where to reach inside. As quickly as it had been retrieved was it presented before Eren in open hands. He studied it carefully, it had few wrinkles, so it hadn't been opened or closed many times. It was slightly larger than an eyeglass case, neatly stitched and crafted from cow's leather, a rare commodity even before the fall of Wall Maria.

He then looked up, into the eyes of the beholder. Stoic as ever, he couldn't even maintain his gaze; she showed nothing. Her dark pools gave no hints of remorse, nor even regret. All he could do was retrieve the item and peer away from her. As if prompted, Mikasa immediately returned to the other side of the room and sat down, resuming her intense gaze on her adoptive brother.

"You're killing us here! Open it will you?" Reiner finally blurted, earning himself a firm elbow to his side from Berthold. The two exchanged contrasting looks before attention was returned to the item in question.

Eren drew in a deep breath before finally popping open the case, and dumping its contents into his open hand. A medical grade syringe, bottle of yellowish-green liquid, and a folded piece of paper.

"This is what I've strove to find all these years…" Eren muttered to himself ironically as he carefully unfolded the paper.

All was quiet in the room, his eyes grew wide, his mouth agape. It was his father's handwriting… There was a knock at his mind, without a second thought he granted Annie's entrance, no thoughts needed be traded, she wanted only to read with him. Tension could only build around him as they began to read.

_My Son,_

_I write this letter with the utmost hopes that you reach it. I'm afraid that there is only so much I can hope to explain , I can only pray that you reach me in due time so I may educate you further. But, I'm afraid what this will explain must suffice for now._

_Eren, as you have begun to discover on your own, you possess a gift. After the fall of Maria I used means to begin a process in you. This process takes place over the course of two successive plateaus. You should be nearing the peak of the first plateau, with this letter I've included the means to begin the second. _

_It pains me to place such dire expectations on you, Son, but I'm afraid that the fate of two races rest with you. There have been many tests and stages that this process requires which you've undergone over the years. Some of which, have come at great costs to countless others. I don't expect your forgiveness for the details you will discover, I can only tell you that, in the end, every sacrifice will culminate into the survival of countless more._

_Humans and shifters alike are stalked by an evil that looms closer every day. A day is coming where you will have to make a decision. The second plateau of this process will change you, more so than the first. Eren, you have to give up parts of yourself that you hold dear in order to save the people you love. The needle in your hand is useless until you are ready, but I have faith that you'll know when you are._

_I am confident that Mikasa has kept you safe on your journeys. She has made sacrifices as well, you may not understand that yet but you will. She, and likely the other shifters, will lead you to Arrah. While the journey is dangerous, it is the safest place for you to master your gift. I know that this letter will leave you with unanswered questions, however; I promise you those answers when you arrive. I wish you safe travels, I'll be waiting for you there._

_I love you, my son._

_-Grisha_

* * *

"Grisha?!" Reiner screamed. "Grisha is your fucking _father?!_"

"Holy shit" Berthold muttered, shaking his head.

This took Eren by surprise, after rereading the letter to them, that was the part that stood out to them?

"You guys know…" Eren tried to speak, but overcome with perplexity, words escaped him, if only for a moment. "My father is in Arrah… and you know him?"

"Eren," Berthold spoke. "Your father is the most important man in Arrah. He is a hero to us… he is the reason we have survived for this long."

"But how? He's never left the walls." Eren asked, voice cracking slightly.

"Until the fall of Wall Maria, he only visited a few times every year, but he definitely made his way to Arrah." Berthold Explained.

Eren was beginning to piece it all together, he was looking back on so many trips his father made over the years. Trips he had told them were to the inner districts; medicine related. Eren wasn't sure how to feel, despite so many new questions that had been arising, he felt a backlog of new information congesting his thoughts. He couldn't metabolize everything quickly enough, the only question he could muster was:

"How did he help you survive?"

"Well," Reiner said, his surprise over Eren's father somewhat subsided. "Before Grisha came to us, shifters were nomadic; we had no settlements. We could never stay anywhere for too long in great numbers because of Imps. Imps can smell larger congregations of shifters from many kilometers away. And since smaller groups cannot, in all practicality, defend from standard titans without risk, establishing a settlement wasn't safe. Grisha was the one to discover that Imps could track our scent, and he successfully devised a chemical that masks it. It wasn't long after that when Arrah was established 14 years ago."

"When I was a toddler… mother mentioned he was absent fairly often at that time.." Eren muttered, face still fairly blank. "Well, shit, that just leaves my mother… I wonder how she was somehow in on this as well." He spoke those words with a mixture of sarcasm and legitimate fear.

No sooner than he could finish speaking, he could see only bright lights and a backdrop of darkness. What was happening now? He blinked his eyes rapidly, but no change in scenery graced his eyesight. As he tried to look around, he noticed a tiny image that expanded ever-slowly. He waited as he seemed to be tunnelling through a void to meet his own eyesight. As his sense was returning to him, he saw only bricks and two pairs of feet, one of which were not touching the ground. Eren suddenly realized he was on the ground, and with that perception came a strong pain on the entire right side of his face. Suddenly he saw the second set of boots come to the ground, along with their owner; Annie clutched her throat as she fell to the floor. This was right as two other sets of boots had joined the first. Finally looking up, he found Berthold and Reiner trying to pull Mikasa away from Annie.

As his pain seemed to vanish, Eren found himself at Annies side, between her and Mikasa. As he helped Annie sit upright, his eyes trained only on his sister, who had broken free from Berthold and Reiner and returned to her position across the room.

"What the fuck happened?" Eren hissed.

"That crazy bitch!" Reiner shouted, still catching his breath. "She jumped up and backhanded you out cold." The young man paused briefly for a few heavy breaths. "Well, that clearly pissed Annie off, but Mikasa countered her kick and started choking her out. Took the both of us to pry the two apart!"

As Eren continued to watch Mikasa closely, he couldn't help but think back and realize that he was wrong: He had not run out of anger at all.

* * *

A/N: Sorry Sorry Sorry! I know I've been building up on Mikasa's big revelation but I promise you that the mystery is going somewhere. I have the next two chapters planned out and everything will build up beautifully.. if I can put the right words to it all anyway.

Also, PLEEEEAAASE don't take offense, and I want to disclaim that I thoroughly appreciate anyone taking the time to review my story. I just humbly ask that you throw in "Spoiler Alert" or something before writing about the chapters. I really don't want to come off as pretentious here, I'm fully aware that I'm not writing a best-seller. I just want any people who might read the reviews before trying out stories not to have anything ruined since I try to throw new twists and left-field developments in here regularly.

But other than that, reviews are awesome and I appreciate them a great deal, constructive criticism especially. Thanks for reading!


	8. 8 Lucidity

"Are you sure you're alright to travel? She really sucker punched you good." Annie asked.

Eren drew a deep breath of the dusty air, smelling of candles and mortar.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'd still rather her do that 100 more times than take another beating from Levi." Eren replied, noticing her wince at the man's name. "Oh, that's right, you've been at his mercy before as well… sorry to take you back."

"It's fine," She replied with a shallow laugh. "I just don't respond well to defeat, it haunts me."

"Makes sense."

With a loud crash, the cellar door flew open, the dark orange skyline traced a large figure in the doorway.

"The fuck are you two dipshits doing?" Reiner called down.

"Making sure eren can still see straight after that slug to the cheek." Replied Annie, as if she had prepared the excuse in advance..

"Hurry that shit up, I'm about to shift, and I'm not trying to wait on you two." Reiner shouted with a grin, shutting the door behind him.

"Does nothing stress him out at all?" Eren asked with a laugh.

"Honestly?" The girl asked rhetorically as she whisked her bangs to the side. "He's the biggest wuss here, his whole persona is who he wants to be, not who he is."

"Well, he had me fooled…" Eren said, unsure how to process such a secret. "I mean, I know he's not the big brother figure I thought he was, but I figured he was acting as if he was with his own people."

"It's a real mind-fuck, living a lie for years-on-end. When Armin finally found me out, I could only laugh. It was like breathing for the first time, an indescribable feeling of relief. I didn't have to be someone I'm not anymore. And we all dealt with it in our own ways, I kept my distance, Reiner became a character, and Berthold…"

"...Berthold?" Eren asked, intrigued.

"He used to be… He was something else. The 'Reiner' you came to know; that was Berthold, before all of this started. Reiner and even myself once looked up to Berthold, he was everything a warrior should be. But, I think, breaking that wall and watching death stain his hands changed him. Reiner had to take control of things because Berthold couldn't lead us anymore. I think that Reiner took on Berthold's persona, not only to lead us, but to fool himself into believing that he was fit for it. Just like I'm sure you're a different person since losing your mother, we all lost pieces of our own sanity throughout all of this."

Suddenly Annie snapped back to her familiar demeanor. "Anyway, we should get going, it only stays dark for so long and Reiner is kind of slow."

"Yeah.." Eren replied quietly.

Eren contemplated embracing the girl before proceeding outside, but in his reluctance to push his luck, opted to trace her shoulder with his hand as he turned away. To his surprise, his hand didn't follow his own movements as Annie took hold. As he finished turning around, she had completely clasped herself around him. Eren felt his heart melting, never had he felt such a connection with someone. It was the best he could do to simply appreciate such a profound comfort as his life was engulfed in chaos and lies.

"Thank you" Eren whispered.

"For what?" Annie asked, turning her head, but reluctant to release her grasp on him.

"I know how hard it is for you to let your guard down. For you to make yourself vulnerable… to support me when I'm weak. Just… thank you, Annie."

The young woman in his arms offered no verbal reply, instead; she squeezed him ever tighter. She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't tell him that she needed it more than he did.

A familiar surge of electricity ignited the sky as Annie and Eren emerged from the basement. It was still a strange sight for Eren, who watched in awe as bones, tendons, muscle, and finally skin and armor all erupted from Reiner's body. Within seconds, the hulking Armored titan stood before them. As Eren did his best to quell his gut reaction to the familiar sight, Reiner kneeled down next to Berthold and Mikasa. Both of whom hopped into the awaiting fight hand, riding it to his shoulder.

As Annie approached the behemoth, Eren took a breath, swallowed his dark memories, and followed. He brought the piece of his mother's clothing to his face and squeezed. Everything he saw around him deepened the hole in his soul. As he stepped onto the armored hand, all he could think about was putting Shiganshina behind him.

Safe from the prying eyes of Berthold and Mikasa, Eren and Annie had no qualms with huddling together for warmth. Although Reiner was considerate enough to use his hands to shield both shoulders from the cold wind, winter was coming fast and the ambient temperature was well below comfortable. Sensing Annies apparent trust in Reiner, Eren let go of his apprehension to leaning back against the giant hand. As the two of them watched the outline of Wall Maria dwindle against the rising moon, they were firmly reminded that they hadn't slept at all amidst the insanity Mikasa had brought to the basement. And in short time, they both had passed out.

* * *

Cool darkness abound, yet Eren had no confusion as to where he was as he opened his eyes. He felt nothing but himself, Annie was absent yet again. With a heavy sigh, he sat on the ground and prepared himself for another night of boredom. In a way he felt angry at Annie for setting the dream states in motion and then leaving him all alone. He was beginning to miss his nightmares; sure, they were horrible, but he never really had to remember them when he awoke. This new state was different, it was as lucid as consciousness but there was a dark, barron air to it. He may as well have been awake and locked in a cell for the duration of his slumber. It was torture and he only wanted Annie to come back.

"What if…" Eren said aloud.

The boy closed his eyes and focused his thoughts. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but concentrated to the best of his ability. He felt a white light beam down on him through his eyelids. As he opened them, he was greeted with a familiar sight. Moonlight danced off the body of water and barely showed the green of the trees in the valley. Eren impressed himself with the detail that he remembered; from the smell of evergreen pine to the sound of the crickets. He had finally made his way back to the lake that Reiner and Berthold had led him to the first night of training.

It was a place that had become his sanctuary of sorts during those three years. Whenever he felt the need to be alone, it was his escape. Despite at least three others knowing the location, he never once was followed or found there.

The young man felt tears of relief welling up as he stood atop the plateau overlooking the entire valley. It took him back to that first night as a cadet, he remembered the very spot Reiner stood as he offered his confidence in Eren in learning the 3D gear. The very memory of that moment helped him feel like everything will be alright in his current situation as well. Lost in nostalgia, Eren decided to visit the shoreline. But as he began walking, something dawned on him:

"This is mine… My world, my dreamscape." He thought aloud as he looked down at his feet.

As he did so, the ground slowly pulled away from him. It was such a strange sensation for him, his ingrained instinct was to find a solid object that offered the desired swing-path and aim his hips accordingly. The unfamiliarity unsettled him enough to prompt a quick flight to the shore line.

As he landed, the distinct sound of thunder made its way across the area. This confused him, as he hadn't willed that particular detail into the scene. Eren pondered the peculiarity as raindrops began to kiss his face. He could have spent more time figuring the phenomenon out, but he had always enjoyed rain. A light sprinkle advanced to moderate downpour, as he felt his clothes saturate, he was amazed at how real it all felt.

As a strong smile broke, tears coalesced with rainwater. A small laugh escaped his lips, he had no idea why he was so happy in that moment. Somehow rain, a nuisance to most, helped him see his problems with an indifference that liberated his soul. If only for a brief time, he could feel what it was like to have no problems or fears. He smiled skyward as he imagined his problems washing away like dirt on his skin.

"Eren, what is this?" An unsteady voice called.

Eren turned from the water to find Annie standing behind him. Despite his surprise in her finding him, the boy simply offered her a genuine smile. Studying her, he found himself speechless. Her Arrai uniform was soaked, droplets danced and meandered their way down her form, shimmering in moonlight. Blonde hair, arranged the same as ever, her saturated bangs hugged the form of her face. Her eyes squinted in defense from rogue splashes of rain, but he could still see blue reflect back to him as moonlight found it's way through. Her arms were crossed tightly as if she were cold, likely out of habit more than anything. She was the most beautiful thing Eren had ever seen.

Having completely forgotten her question, Eren approached the girl. Annie peered back up at Eren, raising her hand above her eyes as her head tilted up into the downpour. Placing his hands on her waist, he kept his gaze into her blue pools and spoke.

"Can I show you something?" He said with a smile.

Annie, caught by surprise, could only mutter: "Y.. Yes"

Without latency, Eren took her free hand and led her toward the lake. As they approached the water, he showed no intention of stopping. Before she could voice her concern, his foot landed on the surface and remained atop. And with the proceeding step, Annie observed the same result. As she processed what she was seeing, the girl failed to notice that she had already walked onto the water as well. It was a strange feeling, the feedback from the surface offered solid grip, yet she could feel the water lapping at her soles. Annie was aware of what was happening, but nonetheless intrigued by Eren's display of creativity.

Eren led her a few meters before stopping and looking back at her. He gave off a warm smile as he lowered himself and laid on his back, atop the water.

"Come on, try this!" Eren said, still grinning.

Slowly, Annie lowered and situated herself next to Eren. As she laid down, she raised her hand over her eyes as she looked over at him.

"Move your hand, Annie. Look up." He said

She gave him a funny look, unconvinced.

"Trust me." He added.

Slowly, as she moved her hand, her pools were met with no rain drops they widened in awe of what they saw. Directly above them raged a lightning storm like she had never seen. Blue and white bolts streaked through the sky in intricate patterns, illuminating the entire valley with every strike. Thunder roared, echoing around them as they watched the plasma dance through the sky. Annie had never paid much attention to such weather, it was a beautiful sight. Each round of thunder seemed to compliment the white noise of the raindrops hitting the water next to her ears. She felt his fingers entwine with hers as she watched, a smile forced it's way across her face. The two of them gazed toward the raging sky for a solid ten minutes before Annie finally spoke.

"How are you doing all of this?"

"I don't know... I guess I decided that I wouldn't be a prisoner in my own head. I just focused on this place and it came to be. I'll never forget the night I came here during that big storm in our second year. It started after I arrived so I waited it out under a tree by the lake and watched the lightning." He replied.

"I remember that storm, it woke everyone up in the middle of the night, it came from nowhere." Annie noted. "I never knew this was even possible, my father never mentioned anything like this when he trained me, can you show me?"

Eren paused to think a moment.

"If you show me how to find you while we both dream. It get's lonely stuck in here, you know?" Eren said.

"I can do that, I'll show you the way later" Annie answered after some brief thought. She then tilted her head up slightly and looked around. "When did you come here? It's exactly how I remember it." Annie asked.

"You knew about it too?" He asked, looking over to see the girl nod. "I came here as often as I could, usually at night when I needed time alone to think. It was always so peaceful, it made everything on my mind feel simple." Eren said.

"Yeah, I… came here for similar reasons actually."

"Reiner and Berthold show you too?" He asked.

"I followed them here once, I thought they were planning without me but they were just going for a swim." Annie admitted.

"So you guys were never really very cl…"

Before Eren could finish, he was engulfed in white light that began to fade quickly. He felt vibrations through his entire body as he began to realize he had been awakened. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he felt Annie stir next to him.

"These vibrations. Where…" Before he could finish his thoughts, it dawned on him that Reiner was the cause. But why would a titan vibrate?

Feeling Annie take to her feet next to him, Eren did the same as they both peered over the giant hand. Collectively, their mouths fell agape as they pieced together what they saw. It was dark, but the moon and stars made it clear what stood ahead of them. Twenty meters in height, dark eyes fixed on them, body entirely coated with fur...

* * *

A/N: I know, I've been laying character development pretty thick. But, as you can see, I've been working to get to the meat and potatoes. And by-God, there will be plenty of meat and potatoes in the next chapter :) I also wanted to keep the dream element strong in the story since it both helps differentiate it and I'm a huge fan of the Ender's Game series; thus I love cerebral stuff, really getting into the character's heads.

Anyway, thanks for the continued support, hopefully this is a bearable addition to the action-junkies. And as always, thanks to the reviewers.

Oh yeah, if any of you know of anyone who does commissions for story covers feel free to send me the info. I've got a cover idea but I don't know where to even start to find an artist. Thanks!


	9. 9 Fall

'Birds - why are they so loud?'

'And the breeze… it's so strong, so cold. Why am I so aware of these things?'

Eren couldn't understand it. From the strong smell of morning dew and titan steam, to the emerging dawn to the west bombarding his eyesight. It all overwhelmed him, and as he stared into dark eyes of the strange creature, all his mind was only sensitive to anything and everything else. What did it want? What did it mean for them? As his focus returned to him, he realized that he hadn't asked what they could do to shifters. Could imps permanently change shifters into titans? Would they have control if that happened or would they become mindless? A few seconds passed as Eren zeroed in on the most relevant question he could ask.

His eyes turned to Annie, what met them was more than unnerving. Blue irises were flanked with more white space than Eren had ever seen from her. Her lips were parted as her jaw hung loosely open. Still, he had to know:

"What should we do?"

The question seemed to snap her halfway back; drawing her mouth closed while her eyes remained planted. The girl cleared her throat to speak:

"We wait. You always wait for them to make the first move."

"Wh… What can they do to shifters?" His voice shook.

"Their bite is what threatens us most, they have venom that kills the shifter if the titan is bitten. There aren't enough of us to take it on, Berthold could, but his form is too slow to avoid a bite. It's likely that we will need to run… I need you to be prepared for me to grab you after I shift, Reiner will likely distract it while I collect everyone before his own egress." She spoke as if the plan had been practiced, likely even put to use.

Only halfway comprehending what Annie had outlined, Eren returned his sights to the threat at hand. It's breathing was heavy as it stared down to the group with terrifying black pools. But what he found most frightening was that the imp's gaze rested on Eren in particular; it knew exactly who he was.

The beast began what appeared to be a lunge less than a second before he and Annie were engulfed in the armored hand. Dizzying forces showed no mercy to them as two seconds disguised themselves as minutes. As quickly as it had begun, the grip released them to the ground, along with Berthold and Mikasa. By the time any of them could regain their bearings, the armored titan had turned around to re-engage the threat. But before Reiner could merely plan a defensive, his vision snapped black as an open-handed blow tore the armored head clean off his titan form.

As four faces found looks of utter disbelief, the titan hit the ground as it's head sailed over the horizon. Steam poured from the nape of the armored titan's neck as a roar that defied human understanding took hold of the air around them.

* * *

"Mikasa! Don't do it!" Eren screamed.

The dark female titan payed no mind to his plea as she charged the beast ahead. Suddenly he found his hand at his mouth.

"Eren! You can't stop that thing yet! Don't go out there" Cried Annie as she helped Berthold drag Reiner from his decaying titan form.

"People die when I hesitate!" Eren hissed before biting down.

Within seconds, a familiar roar invaded nearby ears as the rogue titan charged into the fight. But as Eren's vision took hold, he couldn't believe what it showed. There was no battle, there was no struggle, there was only two pairs of eyes peering his way. In a borderline relaxed manner, back to the enemy, the dark female stood still. It was as if she didn't notice the pair of teeth sunk into her shoulder, straight through her armor.

As the jaw released it's grip on her, Eren found himself standing still; stunned. His eyes refused to close, forcing him to watch as the dark female fell forward to the ground. As the titan began to burn to ash, his mind produced a thought:

'I'm too late again...'

The green glow of his eyes pointed only to one thing, nothing would pry them off her. He didn't notice Annies screams as they carved their way through the air that he neglected breath. He didn't notice Berthold and Reiner use every ounce of strength to hold the girl down as she tore holes in the earth trying to reach him. He didn't notice the venom shooting through his titan form as the imp sunk its teeth into his left arm. The only thing his mind had room for was the girl with the red scarf. Even as his titan began to rot around him, its eyes endured, unflinching as they gazed on.

As the rogue titan's knees hit the ground, steam erupted from it's nape. By the time the dissolving body rested on the soil, Eren's connections to the beast had all rotted off. No sooner than he was freed, his eyes returned to her as he slid off and onto the ground. He couldn't run, his body fell short of such stamina, yet getting to his destination wouldn't be made insurmountable. The boy traipsed as quickly as his poisoned body would respond to his will. He knew what lurked behind him, he knew the end of it all was in sight, and he knew it was all hopeless; yet he remained unrelenting. She never gave up on him, ever. He couldn't let it all end without at least saying goodbye.

So he continued his approach, ignoring those terrible screams, the crippling pain coursing through his body, and the footfalls behind him.

What Eren arrived to see couldn't be fully absorbed through vision alone. Atop a massive heap of smoking ash, she lied on her back. Her mouth spelled words with no voice, a thousand-yard-stare piercing the heavens above. Weak in the knees, he half collapsed next to the girl, sliding a hand under her head. Her skin was pale white, traced with inflamed blood vessels of dark blue, an advanced stage of his own worsening condition. As his intense gaze washed over his sister's face, it was all he could do to hold back tears. An unfamiliar feeling made it's way through his body. It was as if something in his chest twisted his heart and lungs. He couldn't help but wonder: 'Is this fear? Is this what every victim of the titans felt as they met their end? Is this what those who fought so hard for humanity felt as they gave their lives? Is this... what my mother felt?'

As tears fought their way to freedom, he could only string a few words together: "Mikasa. I'm… sorry." He said, clearing his nose. "I can't save us this time."

Slowly, her dark pools made their way to his. She had never looked at him in such a way; there was pain in her eyes. Eren could see through them, and what he saw could only be described as a struggle.

"Eren." Her lips made words as if staving off sleep. "I'm sorry I've had to do all these things."

Sobs erupted from the young man, but he did his best to regain his composure quickly. The finality of her tone sent chills to his core.

"All you had to do was explain yourself. You're my family… it's felt like I've lost your trust." The words barely escaped his mouth.

"No." Her lips spoke in the absence of breath. "It's the hardest thing I've ever done. But everything will make sense when you reach your father."

This time, for a moment, he had to turn his head as he released more sobs into his inner elbow.

"Mikasa… we're not going to…" With a pause, he shakily drew a deep breath. "This is just a setback, soon as we recover we'll finally see what Arrah is all about..."

Eren's body quaked with pain as he lied to her, every fiber of his being wished he could believe it himself.

"I'm sorry, Eren." She struggled to force the air over her lips as her eyelids slackened. "But this is as far as I can go. I… humanity needs you to keep the promise you made to me in Trost. You're going to save everyone, I know it." A tear escaped her eye as she blinked, sluggishly, it traversed her face.

Never had words stung Eren to his very soul, such that he bore no notice to the syringe as it flooded his body with a burning substance.

"No, Mikasa… It's not over, I'll carry you while you recover. Don't talk like that..." His words and breath sending tears through the air.

"Please forgive me - brother - I'll never stop loving you." Her eyes found their way back to the sky as her lungs released those final words. With no particular sign, time came to a halt. There were no sounds, no light or dark, no good or evil; only heat… a fierce heat.

"No, NO, NO!" Eren placed his finger to the girl's neck. "NO! We're not done! I need you! I don't want to die alone, MIKASA!" Placing both hands on her shoulders, he shook her forcefully, failing to believe what her lack of pulse had told him. His last resort was a heavy embrace as he pulled the girl up to him. Her head fell into his shoulder as he squeezed her close to him as hard as he could. He could only bury his face into her scarf as he violently cried. Somehow, uninterrupted, minutes passed.

Still on the sidelines, Annie, Berthold, and Reiner continued their struggle, all three of them beginning to tire. But out of nowhere, her furious exertion came to a sharp halt. Baffled, Reiner remained on top of her, motioning Berthold to see if she was conscious. Upon inspection, the young man found her eyes wide and focused, and slowly, Reiner and Berthold began to cast the same gaze. Amidst the struggle, all three of them had failed to notice what had begun transpiring ahead. Facing the crouching imp, eyes billowing with steam of tears, Eren was on his feet. On his mind was one thing.

A smile.

To some degree, Eren knew the imp was likely watching the two of them. But the smile… the creature was smiling as it watched the agony and death it had caused…

A wind began to stir as his eyes gave off warm red light. His hair and clothes fluttered as his stance remained unmoved. Lightning sounded off in the distance, signalling the coming rain, or rather, a storm.

* * *

A/N: Hopefully I conveyed the emotion of the scene half as well as I had hoped. I literally listened to the song Nutshell - by Alice in Chains over and over until I felt I had gotten it right. That song truly puts me in the shoes of someone hanging on by a thread above a sea of pain. Granted, heroin addictions don't quite compare to titans and death, but still…

I look forward to the reviews on this one, I've been excited to finally write it since 3 chapters ago. If you comment on Mikasa's death, I just ask that you refer to her as **** or something to avoid spoilers. Thanks for reading!

Also, I'm still looking for an artist I can commission for cover art, I'll keep you all updated as that endeavor progresses.


	10. 10 Slaughter

As the sky grew dark from storm clouds looming above, gusts of wind made impacts in all directions. At that point, Annie couldn't be sure if the source was weather or...

"He's going to do it this time…" The words passed her lips as but a whisper.

Blue eyes could only observe, she had only been told legends of the event unfolding ahead. By that point, Berthold and Reiner had released their hold on her as they found themselves lost in the spectacle taking shape. Yet, she remained on the ground, paralyzed. Was it fear? Awe?

Flames danced around the boy's face; furious, yet his skin remained unburned. Even his hair withstood the flames as they weaved throughout the strands of his bangs. Brighter and brighter, an amber glow began to radiate heat on Annie's face. It was like staring at the sun, the intensity grew to the point where only an outline of a young man made its way to her eyes. Heat waves distorted the image of his body, it seemed to radiate in all directions. Despite knowing full well that shifting into a titan defied what people know about physics equally, she couldn't help but wonder how he was generating so much energy. Even the wind was becoming strong enough to necessitate Annie to widen her stance for stability.

Giving her eyes a rest, the girl's attention shifted to the figure looming above Eren. The smile was gone; instead, the creature wore a bewildering expression. The look on the imp's face was not unfamiliar, it was a face she had seen people give off almost every day. What surprised her was seeing it in the eyes of an imp. Mania… no shifter had ever reported an imp display any sign of craze - any loss of composure whatsoever for that matter. Sure, they were the most dangerous living creatures on the planet, but they almost always wore a calm expression. They were bored children with an ant hill and magnifying glass, if anything. Yet, ahead of her crouched an imp with no idea what to do aside from raise it's fist and... It's fist!

"EREN!" The girl screamed as her feet found solid ground. "WATCH OUT!"

Her wail rearranged the air, despite heavy gusts doing their best to dampen her tone. While Berthold remained stunned, peering at the incredible ballet of flames engulfing Eren's form, Reiner noticed Annie's movement but alas, his outstretched hand caught nothing but air.

'He might not be ready, I need to buy him time!' She thought.

Sweat covered her body quickly as she drew closer, the heat began to burn her face. But it didn't matter, all she saw was the giant fist descending upon Eren. Her face and eyes would heal, all she could think of was pushing him out of harms way. Closer and closer she came, it felt like charging into an oven. The smell of burning skin and hair filled her nose… her skin and hair. Annie was unfazed, simply bursting ahead as her body burned.

'Almost there.' She thought, becoming frantic. 'Almost there!'

As her eyes began to fail, they delivered a final image of the giant fist mere centimeters from Eren.

She was too late…

What followed was absolutely terrifying; the earth rocked beneath her feet as a shockwave of sound nearly knocked her off them. Wind and sound blasted her entire body, the bun in her hair shook apart, even her clothing nearly tore apart.

'What is happening?'

Then, a sound that crushed Annie to the core: The loudest, most blood curdling scream she had ever heard. Too late...

* * *

"Berthold, snap out of it, dipshit!"

"Wh…"

"I know, we're all confused! But we need to stay alive long enough to make sense of it all! Snap the fuck out of it man!"

"Oww, Fuck!"

Berthold looked up from his knees, what surprised him most was how intact their surroundings were. It felt as if the Earth itself had been shaken apart, yet the only change of scenery was the mass of bloody…

"What the hell is that..." Berthold said below his breath.

"I don't know, man. Listen, you keep watch while I check on them, alright?" Reiner shouted, but with unease in his voice, his veil was clearly thinning.

This turned his attention to the figures at the center of the carnage. Clutched tightly in Annies arms, Eren was not awake… was he alive? Grasping enough of the situation to know his role, Berthold finally gave Reiner a blank-faced nod as he began scanning the vicinity for threats.

"Annie!" Reiner yelled as he sprinted up to her. "Is he breathing?! Are you alright?"

No response. The stout young man thought to repeat himself, but instead opted to circle around for a glimpse of her face. Blue eyes fired her gaze at the ground ahead of her as if it were a threat. Rain drops trickled down her face, some of them joined the steam as it emanated from her healing burns. But none of it phased her.

"Annie, we need to…"

"Did you see her?" Her voice was quiet, but it was enough to stop Reiner mid-sentence.

"Uh, you mean Mikasa? See her how?" He replied, scratching his soaked head.

Thunder rang across the horizon, but absent was the barrage of wind.

"She stopped right in front of that thing and turned her back to it…" Annie said, breaking her stare with the forming mud. Releasing her grip on the boy, she slid over, letting his head rest in her lap. She peered at the mess a few meters from them, watching as blood mixed with the collecting water.

"I figured she heard Eren transform and it distracted her."

"No. She was protective over him, but she was also the best strategist I've ever seen in action. She knew exactly what she was doing." Annie's words hotly trailed her thoughts.

"But why? Next to a coordinate, she was just about as strong as we come. What good is she dead now?" Reiner retorted.

"She… she knew. She knew what would happen. She knew what he needed to advance to the second plateau that his father was referring to. He must have needed a powerful emotional stimulus to awaken… that ability."

For a moment, Reiner shared her gaze toward the destroyed creature. Nothing was recognizable, he could only compare what he saw with the floor of a butcher shop. Red, blood soaked, and scattered masses of organic matter and fragments of bone and hair. He felt himself becoming nauseous, so he looked away and reverted his mind to the conversation.

"That's a bit of a stretch isn't it? How do you…" Reiner held his speech as Annie gave a nod toward something a few paces away.

The clouds masked most of the light as Reiner peered ahead, but he could see Mikasa's lifeless form clearly enough. It also took little time for him to see in particular what Annie was pointing out. Next to an outstretched hand in the mud was the syringe that Eren's father had left him; empty.

"Oh…." Reiner quelled his urge to chuckle, he was accustomed to missing such details. Such that his way of dealing with the weakness was to laugh it off.

"Annie… what the fuck was that? I mean, they told us about coordinates being able to kill imps with ease. But, that…" He paused to take a breath as he shuddered, mentally reviewing what he saw. Annie showed no sign of a response, so he continued. "I mean, I want all imps dead as much as anyone, but the way he… layers of flesh fell off that thing like rotting meat, and those screams… He butchered that thing alive, Annie, without lifting a finger!"

"He saved us, Reiner." Annie hissed, lifting her head up, glaring at the young man.

"I know! I know… I'm just in shock. I've seen, and caused, a lot of deaths. But, nothing has ever disturbed me like that." Reiner decided he had said enough, nothing seemed to come out right anyway. He simply stood and stared at the unrecognizable remains of what once took in excess of ten shifters and multiple casualties to kill.

* * *

"Eren!?"

The call hailed no response.

"Eren, you need to wake up! Where are you?"

Still nothing. Looking around, Annie could clearly see that Eren had worked hard on the dreamscape she found herself in. Birds chirped in the distance, the sun rested at high noon, oak leaves occasionally took flight in a light breeze. In the distance Annie could see the wall, and within sight was a gate to an outer district. Out of the corner of her eye, she picked up movement next to an oak tree atop a small hill. Proceeding toward the movement, she was able to make out two figures running around the tree.

Two kids, around nine or ten, chased one-another around as they laughed. Annie squinted as she approached, a detail stood out immediately; a familiar red scarf. It was no mental exercise to deduce that the other was Eren. Deciding not to come any closer, she sat atop a nearby log and simply watched.

Minutes passed, and just as Annie prepared to stand back up, a voice from behind:

"Wierd huh?"

Annie jerked around to find Eren standing behind her, eyes and face red, staring blankly at the two kids. His attire was similar to what he wore back in training during off-duty hours. His expression appeared loose, yet she could see that raw emotions lurked behind. He wasn't numb, it was quite the opposite; he lacked the ability to display what he felt.

"Seeing her smiling and laughing like that." He continued. "This was the last time I remember seeing her happy. Even as children, we were both so serious in our own ways…"

She took his presence in, then slowly returning her sights to the oak tree.

"That scarf… how long did she have it?" Annie finally asked.

"I gave it to her when we met…"

Suddenly, the sky went dark and the air grew cold. She found herself in a cabin, watching in horror as Eren's memories played out before her eyes. She watched the look in the young Mikasa's eyes change. It was as if the girl snapped into adulthood in an instant. Finally, as the young Eren wrapped the scarf around the girls neck, clarity flooded Annies thoughts.

"I'm sorry, it's easier to show you than to talk about it." Eren had joined her once more.

"No… I get it, words wouldn't have really told the whole story." Annie spoke, looking up at him, hiding her tears well.

"Have you ever lost someone, Annie?" He asked, doing his best to contain himself. "You're lucky, you know. You can shrug things off so well, even if it hurts, it's like you found a way to spare yourself emotional pain…"

"I…" Annie began, but stopped. For a moment, she was speechless, before finally grabbing the boy's hand. As she meshed her fingers with his, she answered:

"Yes."


	11. 11 Regret

**Before you read: I'm sorry this one is so short and so long overdue. I've grappled with this one for weeks, I had trouble putting it together because I wasn't happy with where I took the last chapter. So I went back and changed it around and refined what I left intact. So it will be to your benefit to reread Ch10 before you start this one. For the most part, things are back on track, but I have come to the conclusion that I need to go back and refine the entire story. I have a 4 day weekend and will be working on it throughout, my quality has been suffering and I hope I can get this story back to the level that I expect from myself. Most heavily I'll be working on chapter 1, only 1 in 4 people continue to chapter 2.**

**That brings me to this: I'm looking for anyone interested in beta-reading chapters before I post them. This whole project is proving a bit ambitious for my novice creative writing skills. Any help will be properly credited :)**

**Lastly, I found an artist for the cover photo! I'm not sure when she will be done, but for now I've posted my initial sketch as the cover art to give an idea of what the finished product will be. Thanks for waiting and, with your continued patience, things should be picking up from here :D**

* * *

"Reiner… are they alright?"

Through the downpour, Berthold watched as the narrow set of eyes met his.

"Yeah, they're doing that trance-dream shit again." Reiner replied, clearly annoyed.

"Oh." Berthold said as he returned his sight to the other two. Eren remained lying on his side, head atop Annie's lap while she slumped forward in her state. Reiner had perched himself close by in case either of them were to fall into the growing puddles around them.

Minutes of mutual silence passed before Berthold spoke again. "I'm sorry."

Reiner once again met the young man's gaze; the two wore their pain on their sleeves, if only for a moment.

"Don't be," Reiner replied. "She's the last person I could have fooled."

A bolt of lightning saturated the sky, followed closely by the monstrous sound it had left behind. The two boys looked up to the bleeding clouds, in their own ways wishing the rain would dilute their thoughts. Nothing remained unsaid, they shared a nod as they began their wait.

* * *

"Harder!"

A muffled 'Thump' echoed throughout the trees, several birds took flight in response. Rays of sunlight trickled through the forest canopy, illuminating the two figures Eren watched from afar.

"Not good enough! Harder!"

Accompanying the encore of the sound came a cry: "HA!"

"Shut your mouth! Silence is your best weapon! Now, harder!"

Mouth agape, Eren felt a heat building in his gut.

'Seven… maybe eight years old… she's barely up to his waist.' He thought

"Harder!"

*Thump*

"Your form is slipping! Wake up!"

*Thump*

"Harder, dammit Annie!"

*Thump*

"HARDER"

*Thump*

A different, far more chilling sound filled the air, what followed was pure silence. Just like that, breathing ceased, his eyes widened, and his heart lulled. Only one sense continued to serve him, but Eren wished it hadn't. All too clearly, his eyes followed the child's flight path before she met the earth once again. Time moved with no urgency, clarifying the ripples that made their way across her face as it met the ground. Although barely a full meter, he felt as if she would never stop sliding. But it was her face that brought him to his knees.

Eyes wide, but fixated on no particular object. It was a look of near complete mental absence, but Eren could see pain in her eyes. The girl, while in complete shock, could still feel every ounce of pain.

As he lost his composure and found his feet moving beneath him, her voice cleanly cut his intentions apart:

"This was the morning after my mother passed away."

The boy stopped, caught between her words and the sight before him. His heart felt as if it couldn't survive more emotional pain, personal or otherwise. Tears began to find their way across his face.

"It was business as usual… he told me the night before and then locked me in my room. This was his idea of mourning, he told me to use bad feelings to my advantage. He taught me how to bottle and use it as fuel, but I never learned how to just… feel."

Eren turned to face her as the figments before him vanished, she stared distantly with a certain focused appearance. No emotion showed through her face or words, yet he could feel it all somewhere inside her, locked away.

"Annie, I.."

"Do you know why I was first drawn to you, Eren?" She interrupted, meeting his gaze.

"Uh, I don't think so."

"The truth is; I envy you. You're the embodiment of what I wish I could be; you not only feel strong emotions, but you are driven by them. My feelings are nothing but a fuel source, but yours are your purpose. I don't have a purpose beyond bringing you home, Eren. Once that's done… I don't know how to live without a purpose."

The girl paused a moment to take a breath, her eyes changed as she kept them on Eren.

"But when I'm around you I get small tastes of what emotions feel like when they are unbound, I can suddenly let them play out instead of burying it all. I get these flashes of what it's like to fear, to lose, to love… I don't want it to stop, Eren, you're slowly showing me how to feel again…" She sobbed and wiped a tear from her eye as Eren approached her. "What I'm trying to say is: I know it hurts, but don't take this pain for granted, you have no idea what it's like to feel noth..."

Her words were cut short as air was forced from her lungs, it was almost painful. Eren held her tighter than she had ever been embraced. She felt him shudder as he broke down, her arms found their way to his back. They both stood alone in the empty, dark void, she was still learning how to build dreamscapes and let her forest slip away amidst the turmoil. But none of that mattered, she actually understood what he was feeling. A few tears left her own eyes as she noted her own two shared a silence, they shared their pain.

Annie knew that her objective was to comfort Eren, but she found herself lost in herself. The concept of up and down seemed to vanish. It was as if she could float away if she were to let go of the boy, yet she didn't really feel dizzy. Her feet still supported her weight but somehow there was no gravity at all.

Eren did his best to limit his tears as he squeezed the small girl, but it proved difficult as he replayed the events again and again. The glimpse of Annie's upbringing didn't exactly bring him peace either. He needed to distract himself, and he had plenty to say:

"Nothing is one-sided, Annie" He whispered in her ear as he throttled back his sobs. "You envy what I want to change about myself, but it's a two-way street. I do feel everything, but I'm at the mercy of it. I'm not falling for you because you're charming, It's because you offer me balance, you compliment where I fall short. You may not need anyone, you may not need me, but I'm glad that you are getting something from me."

Annie was overwhelmed. Falling for her… She didn't know what she could say, she wasn't sure how she felt at all. She needed an out.

"Eren, we need to wake up…" She almost stumbled over her words. Annie felt regret flood her entire body as soon as she said it.

She felt his arms loosen and release her, and reluctantly, she did so as well. He stepped back, but still faced her. She was afraid to see his face, what kind of disappointment would she find in his eyes. Slowly, she built her resolve and looked up from his shirt: Fear. He was terrified, why? She studied him closely, trying to string together her next words. But it was Eren who spoke first:

"I…" His voice broke. "Annie, I miss my sister…"

He fell to his knees as the words cleared his lips, his face did not change at all. His gaze bore right through Annie, it was terrifying, what awaited him when he woke up? Eren felt like he would rather spend the rest of his life there, hiding. He felt his hand being lifted from his lap, his eyes freed themselves from their trance to find pools of blue looking down at him. Her face was blank as ever, yet it somehow offered comfort.

"You should tell her."


	12. 12 Path

"Keep clear." Said Annie.

Reiner issued a look of defiance, but dared not act on it. She was far more serious than her tone gave away. He turned his attention to the boy who stood silently, gazing down upon the fallen shifter.

"What went on in there?" He asked, almost afraid of her response.

"He cared for her more than any of us would have thought… let's just say she had her reasons for the way she guarded him. Just give him his space right now."

"... uh, alright." He replied, turning his head skyward.

The rain had finally stopped, leaving only lightning bolts firing in the distance. The air smelled of copper and moisture, it was unpleasant but bearable.

"We've only got another hour before dawn, Annie" Berthold chimed softly.

"I know," Annie replied. "But he needs this, trust me."

Her words invited a strange look from both young men.

"I won't lie," Reiner asked. "hearing that from you is strange."

Berthold said nothing but nodded slightly in agreement as Reiner watched her blue eyes lock on him. Knowing he had struck a chord, he prepared himself for a potential attack. His instinct was correct as it was useless: Before he knew what had happened, the back of his head was colliding with mud. As liquid began to suffuse his hair and clothing, his neck was met firmly by Annies knee. All he could do was look up into the eyes that could burn holes right through him. But gone was the anger in her face, instead she wore a look of pity… He wasn't sure which he despised more.

"Reiner," She spoke softly, but audible. "Make no mistake; every person you will ever meet has something to hide. You would be wise not to go calling anyone out when we can all see how terrified you are, hiding behind your strong-man facade."

At first, Reiner returned the very look Annie had expected: shock. But what came next was completely unforeseen. Fingers dug into her left thigh above his neck, as she reached down to counter she felt his other hand take hold of her right upper arm. She was too late to react, as she was pulled to the ground she could only look back in dismay at the raging young man. She had never seen him lose his temper like that, it was almost frightening. As her back made contact with the mud, Reiner had already made the mount and pinned down both of her elbows.

"Who the fuck are you to talk to me like that?!" He screamed, face turning red with fury. "So what if I _am _scared? Do you not remember that we were children? It was just _us_, Annie! Three children, sent all alone to kill thousands of people and then live among them."

The girl could only look up at him, stunned, as spittle periodically struck her face. Reiner's eyes were beginning to water, but he wasn't nearly finished.

"I _acted,_ God damnit! I buried my fear, I put my needs aside, because my comrades needed me. I did what I had to do to support you and Berthold. And what did you do?! You left us… You checked out, you abandoned us to protect yourself! I'm not ashamed of being afraid, I ALWAYS put my friends first. But you… You're the real coward, Annie, not me. If your feelings for Eren are real, I truly hope you've learned to feel shame as well."

"Who's turn is it to shift for our travels?"

Every ounce of tension in the air suddenly slackened as everyone's attention shifted to the source of the words. Holding Mikasa's lifeless form, Eren stood stoically, eyes arbitrary focused. Silence permeated through the atmosphere like water in a sponge. As Reiner released his hold on Annie and stood, Berthold answered the question:

"Annie's… why?"

Eren ignored the question and turned to Annie, who had sat up to look him over. She wore the expression of someone who had just been powerfully humbled, but gave him her full attention nonetheless.

"Annie, could you do something for me?" His words wore a mixture of coldness and despair.

"Yeah -What is it?"

"Since you'll have to shift soon anyway, could you…" Choking on his words, he took a moment to compose himself, to fight his captive tears. But Annie knew exactly what he was asking.

Lightning carved its way to where she stood, blinding Berthold and Reiner, who had been incidentally looking in her direction. First a framework of bones, followed hotly by muscle and tissue, and seconds later her titan form stood complete. As steam dissipated at her feet, she kneeled down across from Eren. The titan placed a finger to the ground in front of him as she shot him a questioning look. He gazed up at giant blue eyes as he issued her a solemn nod of approval. With that, Annie begun to carve a pit in the ground before him.

As he watched her make short work of the task, the finality of it all began to set in, but he was done crying. Less and less energy was required to hold back his tears until there were none left to fight. He felt a pressure on his shoulder, Reiner's hand. Eren looked back at him to find apologetic eyes as the young man spoke.

"Eren, can we help you lower her in?"

"Y-yeah, thanks." Eren replied meekly.

After the three young men carefully placed the girl into the grave, Reiner and Berthold climbed out while Eren stayed behind. Kneeling down beside the girl, he released a long sigh.

"I took you for granted, Mikasa… I'm so sorry. I wish you hadn't done this, but I promise you that this won't have been in vain. I will tear apart every single one of them, their blood will stain the earth red. A day is coming where imps and titans learn the fear we've lived under all these years. They will never even know the luxury of cowering behind a wall, nothing will hide them from me" He snarled, beginning to breathe heavily.

Eren noticed an amber glow shining on the girl. Upon realizing himself to be the source, the boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A stark reminder how little he knew of his own abilities. After a moment, he opened his eyes again and placed something atop her chest: An empty syringe wrapped in his mother's piece of cloth. Eren then lifted her scarf over her mouth and gently kissed her cold forehead before standing up. Accepting a hand from Berthold and Reiner, he made his ascent before turning around to see her one last time.

"I miss you, my sister, my.. family." He spoke almost under his breath.

The boy gave a nod to Annie, who began to carefully push the displaced earth to whence it came. As she smoothed the surface of the grave site, Eren turned his attention to the other two boys. His eyes were wide yet calm, he spoke in a tone of borderline urgency.

"Let's get far away from here.. Let's get to Arrah."

* * *

"Fresh air, I'll never take it for granted again!" Reiner cheered, finally freed of the putrid stench of a rotting imp.

Berthold peered at the twilight ahead as the wind filled his hair, maintaining his stoic demeanor.

"Are we close enough to travel by day? I don't see anything familiar." Berthold asked.

"Yeah, it's risky but we're home free. At Annies pace we'll be at the gates by noon."

"Home…" Berthold muttered.

"Can you believe it!? After everything, we're finally going home, man!" Reiner exclaimed.

"What's home anymore…" The quiet shifter muttered, barely breaking through the wind with his voice.

"What's wrong?" Reiner asked, concerned.

"I barely remember it… what if it doesn't feel like home anymore? Five years, Reiner… it didn't sound like such a long time when they trained us, but that was before we saw humankind for ourselves. They're just like us… scared and isolated. I'm as connected to them as I am to Arrah, but I feel like neither is my home…"

"You want the truth, Berthold?"

"There's no such thing as truth. It's all relative…" Berthold scoffed.

"Home is just an idea, you decide where your home is. You may have lost the connection you once felt with this place, but the people there never stopped thinking about you. I'm no more proud of what we've had to do over the years than you are. But we did those things for the sake of humans and titans alike. We are on our way to be welcomed as heroes, as warriors… This is where it all pays off, this is where our lives turn around." Reiner himself felt compelled to pause, reality was sinking in. The culmination of everything lied ahead, he found it surreal.

"Reiner, did you mean those things you said to Annie?"

Reiner snapped from his daydream and found Berthold's stare awaiting him. The dark haired shifter had fear in his eyes.

"I did." He finally answered, breaking eye contact to glance toward the titan's face. She didn't seem to be listening to them but he decided to assume that she was.

"Then you must feel even more ill thoughts toward me…"

"What?" Reiner asked. "No! It's not the same thing."

"I became far more useless as time went on, she may have started to slip but I'm the legitimate basket case."

"Let me explain something to you: You can't help how your mind reacted to what we've had to do. But her… she closed herself off to protect _herself. _She made a choice, you didn't. Nobody blames you for suffering emotional damage, we all have it, it affected us all differently. Let's not kid ourselves, the three of us will be fucked up in the head for life. But there's nowhere to go but forward, it's the only option there ever is."

"You may be right, I just wish I were stronger. I miss how things used to be."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for hanging in there for the soap opera chapters! Next chapter will be long, it will be Arrah :)

Potential spoilers below:

Cyborg: That line is mean to hint at Reiner having feelings for Annie while also indicating that he knew she wasn't fooled by his adaptation of Berthold's former personality. I am huge on subtext so be on the lookout guys!


	13. 13 Arrah: Part 1

**Ch 13 Arrah: Part 1**

"Eren, wake up!"

The words stirred the boy, slowly parting his eyes as they adjusted to the bright sun above.

'Where is this?' He wondered as he took in his surroundings. He was still lying in Annie's open hand, the same position he fell asleep in. Looking up, he found the source of the voice. Standing atop the female titan's shoulder, slightly in front of Berthold, was Reiner. The blonde-headed shifter maintained is sight on Eren as he tapped his right foot.

"You lazy shit! Come on, we're here!" Reiner hollered down, smiling like an idiot.

"Here… he doesn't mean…" Eren muttered to himself as he sat up to look around.

What he found amazed and confused him simultaneously. Ahead of them lied water as far as he could see. Aside from an island in the distance, the water seemed endless. He had never seen such a thing but had heard legends of huge bodies of water. Books that Armin had shown him as a boy described such wonders but nothing really prepared Eren for the scale of what sat ahead. Peering down showed him that Annie was standing in the water, slight amounts of steam rose from where the cold water met her knees. As he looked back, he realized that he had been hoisted to shoulder level. Taking the hint, the boy hopped across the gap, joining the other two.

Eren inspected the coast behind them but observed no signs of civilization. From left to right, several meters of sand and rocks gave way to a dense forest which lined the beach. He turned his attention to his companions, both of whom looked out to the ocean.

"It's incredible, but you had me thinking we had arrived. How much further is it, do you need me to run the rest of the way?" Eren spoke as he shook off his grogginess.

Reiner's hand struck Eren's far shoulder almost painfully as he felt himself pulled close to the larger boy. With his free hand, Reiner pointed to the distant island.

"This is it! We're right on it!" He cheered as he released Eren. "But you have to be awake for this, Annie needs both arms free."

"I never picked up on Arrah being an island, how far of a swim is it?" Eren asked.

"A few kilometers, speaking of…" Reiner briefly held his speech as the titan began to move deeper into the water. "We're gonna have to shift positions, just follow my lead here."

Eren watched as Reiner grabbed a lock of the titan's hair and brought both feet to her neck as he hung. Locking onto another handful of the thick, blonde strands, he made his way to the back of the neck where he settled and waited for Eren and Berthold. Instantly reminded of pre-3DM training on repelling vertical faces, Eren followed suit. The massive strands of hair were a bit more unnerving to work with than ropes and carabiners, but he felt no danger of losing grip. The female titan began to shift to a horizontal position as Berthold joined the two other boys.

"Hold on tight, Yeager!" Reiner warned

"Wh…" Eren nearly lost his hold on Annies hair as a violent burst of acceleration threatened to tear him away. He had only just regained his grip as a second, more civilized surge pulled him rearward. After learning the pattern of the forces he found himself subject to, he looked over to the water and found himself stupefied.

"How the fuck…" His words trailed off, but Berthold seemed to understand what Eren was having trouble with.

"Titan bodies are not as dense as our human form, they float much better on water. For that same reason we can swim very quickly. Myself excluded, most shifters can swim much faster than they can run. The downside is that skinless forms like hers can't stay in the water for too long before they lose too much heat and fail."

"Is she in danger then?!" Eren yelled back in concern.

"Cool it, loverboy." Reiner called with a laugh. "We're already halfway there, she know's what she's doing."

'Halfway there? Already?' Eren thought as he peered down at the blue of water rushing by. 'We must be doing over 100 kpm…'.

He couldn't see over the titan's massive head, but he could see the island expanding on either side. It didn't appear to be an ordinary, graduated island. There was no beach portion to speak of, only what seemed like hundred-meter cliffs with scattered rocks below. It was only speculation, but the island seemed to span around ten kilometers wide, but how long? More importantly; would they need to climb those cliffs?

"Hey, is she going to climb that?" Eren asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" Reiner said, sporting his trademark grin. "How long can you hold your breath?"

Eren needed no further explanation as, almost on cue, Annie ceased her strokes and glided to a stop in the water. Berthold spoke up:

"Alright, Reiner will be counting us down, when he gets to 'three': take a deep breath and hold it. Since titan bodies are so buoyant, she'll be swimming hard and the current will be intense. So hold on as tight as you can, if you get pulled away it's likely that you'll drown before you reach the surface again. If that happens, you need to shift, you don't need air in titan form. When Reiner starts counting, take a few deep breaths before your final one, it will help you last longer. Am I making sense?"

Eren halfway nodded before speaking: "How long will we be underwater?"

"About a minute and a half," Said Reiner. "Just try to stay relaxed and only focus on your grip, you'll be fine. Are you ready?"

Eren's response was blunt and determined: "Yeah, let's go."

"Annie!" The stout young man shouted. "One!"

*Inhale*

"Two!"

*Exhale*

"Three!"

*Gasp*

Thousands of tiny daggers seemed to permeate Eren's entire body, it took his pooled willpower to hold the air in his lungs. But there was no time to adjust as water surged over his face with a force that threatened to pull his eyes open. And this time, there was no decline in current to speak of. Each rush of movement was as powerful as the last. He wanted to open an eye to get his bearing but worried that the pressure would force it to the back of his skull. Suddenly the cliffs didn't seem so bad.

* * *

*Gasp* "Ugh! Fucking gross!" Eren spat, after finally catching his breath.

Berthold and Reiner, both out of breath as well, shared a short laugh.

"Sorry," Berthold said matter-of-factly. "It didn't really occur to us that you haven't been in salt water before."

"Salt water… Armin's book was right then."

"Huh?" Reiner asked, eyebrow arched slightly.

"Nothing…"

"Dipshit." Reiner muttered dismissively.

But Eren ignored the boy's charming people skills as he stood to explore his new surroundings. Somewhat dark, but enough illumination came from the ceiling of the cavern. An opening at the center shot light directly to a glass orb suspended from the ceiling. The setup seemed to be built for distributing light throughout the room, it was rather clever. Working his way down, Eren made not of the dimensions of the area. Judging by the surfaces, they stood in a naturally formed cave. The only alterations that stood out to him were the lighting system and the uniformly flattened ground, it wasn't a finished floor, but refined nonetheless.

Behind them was the pool of water from which they'd emerged. The ceilings were high enough for Annie to stand fully upright, the room itself spanning twenty meters wide and forty long. At the end of the room were three paths; an open passage and two doors. One door was massive, around five meters high and five wide, the other door, like the passageway, stood at a standard scale. No sooner than Eren made mental notes, he watched as the female titan opened the large door, crawled through, and shut the door behind her.

"Hey, where's she going?" Eren enquired.

"Egress creates a lot of smoke," Berthold began. "We have specialized rooms that dissipated it all."

"Oh, yeah I guess that makes sense. I suppose it would build up underground like this pretty quick." Eren surmised, somewhat impressed with the sophistication of their procedures.

"Well, while that's also true, the biggest reason is scent. Titans and imps can smell us and are also drawn to the sight of the smoke that our remains give off. Smoke from that room is pumped through machines that break it down with the chemical that your father invented."

Eren stared blankly for a moment. "Wow, and you said you guys were all nomads twenty years ago?"

"Well," Reiner wore a smug grin as he responded. "Imagine what the people within the wall could build if every one of them could shift into a titan."

"Uh… makes sense." Erens words seemed to fall flat off his lips as he processed such a foreign idea. But the clang of the smaller door handle drew him from his daze.

Smoke briefly escaped the doorway as Annie traipsed out, shutting the door behind herself. The girl momentarily leaned against the door before looking up at her comrades and starting toward them. Eren, seeing her fatigue began a brisk walk in her direction. Both of them stopped when they reached one another.

"Hey… You gonna be alright? You look pretty beat." Eren spoke with care, but made a point of not patronizing the girl.

Shooting him a quick half-smile, her reply was sharp: "Talking to yourself?"

"You're shivering" Eren noted, unfazed. He unbuttoned and removed his top as he approached her.

"I'm fine."

Eren ignored her as he draped the garment over her shoulders. After delivering a peck on the girl's cheek, he issued his retort:

"Shut up, Annie."

As Reiner finished his chuckle at the exchanged he had just witnessed, a growing sound invited the attention of all four shifters.

Footsteps.

Echoing through the passageway, the distortion of the distant footfalls slowly gave way to a clear sound. Jogging toward them was a lone man of moderate build and short blonde hair. He looked to be in his late twenties, he wore the same style of uniform that the shifters had given Eren, and his expression was of concern and seriousness. Eren surmised that, despite the man holding nothing resembling a weapon, he was likely a guard tasked with watching the entrance. This was all but confirmed when the man stopped several paces from the group and shouted:

"Identify yourse…" Stopping mid sentence, his eyes grew wide.

Eren was no expert at reading lips but felt relatively certain that the guard mouthed the words:

'Holy shit, it's them… they really made it.'

* * *

A/N: Hope you guys like this chapter, it's nice to move forward finally. I dug myself into a character development hole that took a few chapters to climb out of. But now that we know who these people are, hopefully it will enrich the plot. It may take me a while to pump out the next chapter. Between weekend work and the fact that I have to invent a few new characters. But I am having fun developing Arrah, since it's so mysterious in the series I can really stretch my legs as far as concepts and mechanics go. Anyway, criticism is always encouraged, particularly now. Reviews have slowed down and I'm hoping to win back anyone whose jumped ship. I better stop rambling, inflating my word count too much. Thanks for reading!


	14. 14 Arrah: Part 2

"So many questions!" Reiner shouted at the guard.

Eren looked the man over as he and Reiner spoke about changes in Arrah over the preceding years. He wore a calm expression but Eren could see that he was battle-hardened. But why, was he more than a guard? He remembered Annie pointing out the flaws in the system the humans used in their military, perhaps shifters used a different one?

As he pondered what awaited him ahead, he began to wonder just how long the tunnel they were travelling was. It was fairly cramped, averaging two meters high and wide, with wavering variances. Eren wasn't sure what type of rock it had been carved through, but it seemed easily as hard as concrete as he grazed his fingers on the walls. Further perplexing were the damp sections of the tunnel, saturated from ceiling to ground. He decided a talk with Annie was overdue.

'Hey, are you there?' He asked, approached her in the void.

'Yeah.' She replied, showing him no physical attention as the group walked.

'So, are we below Arrah right now?'

'Something like that… We're below the outskirts right now, it's mostly forest and farmland.' Her reply came off as uneasy at best.

'Something wrong?' Eren asked.

'No… It's just weird being home. Anyway, we still have to travel by boat to the capital.'

'Oh, what happens when we get there?'

'We debrief the council, then.. I would assume you'll be questioned about your loyalties...'

'My loyalties?'

'You're the coordinate, Eren. Your father will carry a lot of weight, but I'm sure they'll want to speak to you themselves. They can't put the fate of Arrah in your hands if they have doubts.'

'Yeah, I guess not. So this council, what do they do? Are they the government?'

'It's complicated,' Annie began, somewhat struggling to remember the details herself. 'Every job here falls under a general category; Educators, Engineers, Farming, Warriors, Police… People within each of those categories vote for a person to represent them, respectively. Those electees form the Council of Arrah. I won't bore you with what they can and can't do, but they basically govern the city and make most important decisions.'

'Huh, that makes sense. Sounds more fair than a royal family.'

'It works here, people have a voice.'

Abruptly, Eren and Annie's mental exchange was cut short as the guard's attention turned to Eren.

"I don't remember you at all… when did you pass through here to leave?"

"I'm" Eren began, somewhat uncomfortable. "from within the walls."

The man cocked an eyebrow at Eren's answer, his face flooded with confusion and uneasiness. Everyone had stopped walking, all eyes rested between Eren and the guard.

"So, you're… human?" The man slowly asked.

"Well, I guess I used to be…" He trailed off, not entirely sure himself what the answer was.

"Wait, you're not… No way. No fucking way." The guard's eyes darted to the other shifters, one by one, as all three of them issued a nod of confirmation. "HOLY SHIT! Holy shit." He trailed off as he took a step toward Eren. "What's it like? What does it feel like to…"

"Listen." Annie's voice sliced right through the guard's inquisition. "With all due respect, sir, he's still green with it, those aren't the best questions to ask right now. Also, when we get to town, we're going to have to ask you not to draw any attention to him. That kind of thing wouldn't help any of us, make sense?"

"Errr, yeah. It does… And no need for the formalities, the four of you will no doubt outrank me by sunset. But I won't be accompanying you to town." The man replied, making his best effort to quell his excitement.

"What do you mean?" Reiner asked. "Who will bring the ferry back here once we get to the other side?"

"It's something I'll just have to show you."

* * *

Finally, the tunnel widened into a tall chamber. As he entered, Eren looked down to find a flight of stairs leading down to a canal of water. To his left was a massively tall tunnel, dimly illuminated with a blue light from deep within. To his right was a balcony of sorts overlooking the canal, at the corner of which was a small doorway.

"Where's the ferry? And… when did the tunnel get so tall?" Reiner asked, scratching his head.

"Well, you see, about three years ago there was a revolution in transportation. I think you guys in particular will like it… you were trained in Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear within the walls, right?"

"Yeah, but they're not meant for public transportation…" The broad shifter quipped.

"Come on, I'll show you." The guard said with a half-grin as he grabbed a torch off the wall and lit it before proceeding to the dark room.

As they made their way into the room, the only contents seemed to be a row of eight wall lockers.

"Pick a locker and suit up!" The man said cheerfully.

Reiner was the first to investigate, opening the locker nearest to him. After reaching in, he withdrew the familiar harness to a set of 3DM gear. With a shrug, he began removing his shoes and top to put it on. With that, the other's picked their respective lockers and followed suit.

Upon donning his harness, Eren noticed something missing from the locker.

"Hey…" Eren began.

"Ivan." The guard said. "Sorry, I guess I never did introduce myself."

"Oh, I'm Eren, nice to meet you.." Eren said, shaking Ivan's hand. "Anyway, the sheaths are missing. I figured they aren't especially useful to a city of shifters, but where will the canisters be mounted without them?"

"Right! We mount the canisters on the back, it's actually much easier for general mobility that way."

"I see…" Eren replied as he continued mounting his equipment.

From nowhere, he found his face covered in fabric. As he pulled the garment off his head, he recognized it as the top he had draped over Annie. Looking over at her, she had already resumed affixing her gear. Eren grinned a bit as he continued his assembly as well.

With little trouble, the band of shifters helped each other mount canisters on their backs. Once everyone had their 3DM gear mounted and adjusted, Ivan requested their attention.

"Aside from the lack of sheaths, there's one other fundamental difference than what you guys are used to. Go ahead and activate your maintenance release on your ejectors…" Ivan briefly waited while they all did so. "As you can see, in place of each hook is an entirely different apparatus."

Eren inspected the strange device while the guard explained it to them. Slightly larger than the standard hooks, it opened and closed in a different manner. At it's base, where the wire connected, was a hinge connecting two sides to the device. One side extended out and around, making a hole around the other, at its end was a small pulley. The other side curved around similarly, blocking the pulley when the device closed.

"Throughout the city are public zip lines, these trolleys are designed to latch on to the lines when fired. When they strike the desired line, momentum snaps them shut onto it. Everything else works the same, the release button for the hooks release your respective trolley from the wire. Just don't forget about the changes, you'll be fucked if you fire these things into a wall or something out of habit. Anyway, I have to stay here at my post, but the lines into town are up there. Just climb that ladder until you're in range, then fire away!"

"Thanks Ivan." Berthold said with a grateful nod.

"I'm glad you guys made it back. And you, Eren; if what I heard about coordinates is true… thank you for standing with us.. with Arrah." Ivan spoke with genuine, passionate gratitude as he issued what appeared to be a formal salute. He stood straight, one hand flat at his side, the other raised to his forehead with his palm flat and facing outward.

Eren had been rendered speechless, he could only return with a solemn nod as he cleared his throat. Ivan, who seemed to understand Eren's awkward response, shot a smile at the group of shifters as he turned and walked toward the underwater entrance they had came.

"This new setup is going to be weird." Reiner said as he headed for the ladder in the room.

"Yeah, I feel like I'm liable to retract and refire out of habit and fall." Eren added as he mounted to climb behind him.

Berthold and Annie said nothing, both of whom averse to small talk as they'd ever been. For the rest of the ascent, nobody had anything to say at all. Looking down as they reached the top of the ladder, Eren estimated their height to be at least 35 meters or so. He next joined his comrades in their focus: four cables fastened to the wall above them, each parallel with the other, leading into the dark tunnel their ladder faced. To Eren, unfamiliar with what awaited on the other end, it was somewhat spooky. After a brief pause, Reiner spoke up:

"Alright chickenshits, I guess I'll go first!"

Without delay the familiar sound echoed throughout the chamber.

*POP*

Reiner's cable unwound as the silver bit of machined metal could barely be traced through the relative darkness.

*Clank*

Peering up at the cable, Eren could vaguely see that the device had indeed locked on. With a quickness, the whirring sound of winding cable filled the chamber.

"Hold on Reiner!" Eren called.

But his warning was in vain, the stocky shifter was already lifting off the ladder. Reiner realized his error after the point of no return.

"Shit shit shit shit!" He called as he picked up speed down the line.

The other shifters shook their heads as they watch him, hanging sideways from the right hip, disappear into the tunnel. His curses echoed back to them, more and more faint as he traveled away. Without one line affixed to a solid object, it was not possible to properly aim the other.

"Well," Berthold began with a sigh. "I guess I'll make sure he makes it down without further incident."

The lanky shifter turned himself around on the ladder and fired his left trolley. Upon latching to the far right cable, he reeled in the slack before firing his right. His second shot was as successful as the first, affixing to the next cable over, and in no time he had equalized the tension on both trolleys. With a plume of air from his nozzle, he raced into the darkness, only Eren and Annie remained.

"Hey, are you going or what?" Annie called up to him, impatient.

Only somewhat caught off guard, Eren swung to one side of the ladder and peered down to the girl.

"Maybe you should go next, he did that so fast I didn't follow every move…" He called.

"Seriously?" She muttered with a sigh as she began climbing.

Mentally, she actually questioned what she normally saw in Eren. To her, such incompetence should've been beneath him. Shooting him a disapproving glare as she climbed past him, her ascent was cut short as his hand took hold of her arm. A moment later he had turned her toward him and wrapped the same arm around her torso.

"What are.."

Her brief confusion was silenced and answered concurrently as warm lips connected to hers. Suddenly, Annie's confusion regarding her attraction to Eren was cut to size once more. As the familiar feelings surged through her very blood, it served as a stern reminder of the events that forced them dormant in the first place. Eren Yeager: The only person in the world who could make her feel small - safe.

Although their kiss lasted mere seconds, it was exactly what Annie needed… what both of them needed. Eren slowly withdrew with a smile, Annie caught herself before a grin could appear on her face before looking back toward the ladder. As she began to climb again, two 3DM shots fired from below her. She had time enough to catch a glimpse of Eren dismounting the ladder before his boost nozzle left clouds of gas in his wake.

"Last one down's an asshoooooole" He called as he vanished into the dark tunnel.

With a laugh of disbelief, Annie muttered fitting words: "That little shit."

With a quick two shots, the girl was off as well on the adjacent set of wires. Annie didn't know how to feel about finally being home… but she did look forward to seeing the look on Eren's face when she beat him to the bottom.

* * *

A/N: Took a minute to think of where I wanted to go, but once I nailed it down this chapter wrote itself! Sorry if you're not into technical details, but Arrah is deceptively expansive, I'll be explaining a ton of things in the coming chapters. I promise to do my best to mix it all in without lagging the plot.

There may be a few more errors than usual, I'm tired but I wanted to get this out tonight! I'll be combing through it tomorrow as well as taking suggestions from any "beta readers", who will be credited in the edit for their input :)

**OOOH YEAH!:** Cover image came through! You can find the full size one through my profile! The particular artist has an interesting take on noses, but she really nailed the lighting and rain!


	15. 15 Arrah: Part 3

'It seems so endless.'

Eren had to squint his eyes, because of the darkness and the wind. Normal 3DM operation could never generate such speeds, let alone sustain them. All skepticism was thoroughly slain as he struggled to keep his eyes open, travelling well over 60 kilometers per hour. He considered laying off his boost trigger, but, with a grin, he remembered his friendly challenge to a frightening girl.

If he had to guess, he had been on the move for two or three minutes and still saw no sign of the end. Every few moments, a blueish-white glow would appear, only turning out to be another of those strange glass orbs on the ceiling. Eren could hear nothing behind or ahead of him, which he deemed a good thing given the speed of his travel. With the limited light, all he could do was hope that Reiner and Berthold hadn't experienced a jam of some sort ahead of him. This brought to light a potential downside to the 3DM zip line approach: There really wasn't an efficient way to slow down in a pinch.

'Annie, you get started without incident?' He called to her mentally.

'Yeah, but there'll surely be an incident when I get my hands on you.'

Annie's reply left Eren unsure just how playful she was being… if at all. But, being a regular tempter of fate, he ignored the less desirable of possibilities.

'I can't even hear you back there! I might have an unfair weight advantage, gravity is on my side you know.' He shot back, although he had dialed back his taunting tone.

'I seem to remember that advantage serving you well in our hand-to-hand endeavors...' The girl quipped, liberal on the sarcasm.

'I seem to remember your enthusiasm to teach me taking a dive after the first time I pinned you!' Eren fired back.

'Eren, why do I get the feeling that you were the type of kid who poked dangerous animals with sticks for the fuck of it?'

'Never grew up around any, but I wouldn't call that an unfair assessment!'

Eren's finished his reply as he spied a different, more broad light ahead.

'Finally!' He thought.

Brighter and brighter, an opening grew more quickly than his eyes could adjust. Passing the threshold of the tunnel at a blistering pace, Eren found himself blinded as light suddenly engulfed him. As he adjusted to the startling contrast, what he saw took his breath away.

Eren had just entered the largest underground chamber he had ever seen. Although not perfectly round by any means, the diameter of the room averaged a kilometer or so to the naked eye with the ceiling looking to be 100 meters. Light blue water stretched to every direction as giant holes in the walls poured light inside to glisten against the ripples of the surface. Speckled throughout the waters were small fishing vessels, the occupants of some could be seen looking up at him as he glided past from above. Looking ahead, he could faintly make out Reiner and Berthold halfway across the line. The line itself spanned clear across the natural wonder, terminating near a large opening in the wall. Imposing stalactites lined the ceiling, some measuring ten meters in length. But something else demanded Eren's attention more so than all else. The focal point took center stage of the chamber; cascading down from the ceiling, a waterfall flooded the vicinity with dark blue light as it refracted through the water from the surface above.

'But, how?' Eren wondered as he took in the incredible sight. 'A body of water above this place… what if the whole thing collapses?'

Without warning, a strong pressure manifested around his waist.

"What the fu…"

The strange force shifted as he suddenly found himself staring into familiar, fierce blue eyes. Travelling along the parallel set of cables to Erens, Annie had swung over and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. As her stare locked into his own, he wasn't entirely sure of her intentions, but he had always liked that about her.

"I think it's time we had a talk, yeah?" Her tone was stern, yet eerily polite… sarcastically polite. Her usual deadpan expression did her tone no favors.

"Uhhhh."

"Good, hang on a sec." The girl glanced back at their path for a split second before a plume of condensation erupted from her boost nozzle. The interlocked pair gradually slowed to a crawl along the cables. Upon finishing her maneuver, Annie picked up where she left off:

"Anyway, this whole 'fire a girl up and run away' thing isn't going to work. This relationship clearly needs some ground rules."

"Relationshi…?"

"Rule number one: It's cute when you take charge, but it's law when I do."

"Wha…?"

"Rule number two: No interrupting your girlfriend."

"Girlfrien…?"

"Rule number three: Finish what you start."

As the words rolled from Annie's mouth, Eren felt her hand slip behind his head and take firm hold of his hair. His mouth opened as he began to protest, but his intended words were flanked by soft lips. In an instant, Annie had made short work of any resistance Eren could muster. He wasn't sure, even at that point, quite how literally to take what she said. But, then again, he didn't really care.

* * *

"What's up with that goofy smile on your face?" Reiner called.

Eren continued up the beach with Annie in tow, joining the others.

"Not as goofy as your face when you took off on one line." Eren fired back.

"Yeah, old habits I guess…" Admitted Reiner, slightly red in the face.

Looking around, Eren noted several people walking around in various directions around them. It brought him a sense of comfort to finally find himself among a population of people. As the group began to walk toward the opening in the wall, Eren took one last look at the odd beauty of the chamber behind them.

"How big is the lake above?" Eren asked

It was Berthold who spoke to answer:

"Lake? Oh, no, it's a river directly above that waterfall. The water flows from a reservoir up on the mountains ahead of us. That hole actually isn't natural; before we formed it, the water just flowed into the ocean. Now, even if the reservoir dries out, we still have a source of fresh water and fish down here. Plus, it's another means to keep us from the surface."

"Wow, everything is so… purposeful here. It's impressive, really." Eren remarked. "Just how big is this island, and what's wrong with the surface?"

"It's really fortunate that our parents and grandparents found it. It's a few kilometers wide and around twenty long. It's nowhere near as expansive as the area within wall Maria, but there are far fewer of us; around 20,000… at least at the time we left. As for the surface, it's reserved for farmland and other endeavors that require the sunlight or vertical space. Everyone can come up there as they please, but anyone without the need to live up there beds here underground. The less of us up there, the less likely titans or imps are to find us." Berthold answered.

"I see."

As they entered the large opening, an upward sloped tunnel lied ahead. Strung along the ceiling, several zip lines offered citizens a quick route to the underground lake. As people passed them, headed down, Eren couldn't help but marvel at how similarly the shifters dressed compared to humans within the walls. A chuckle escaped the boy's lips, inviting Annie's attention.

"What?"

"Oh, it's just interesting… aside from the environment, you'd never know this isn't a city of regular humans at first glance."

"We're more human than you think, Eren. Just like everyone within your walls, we're just trying to survive. Yeah, we have certain advantages, but humanity isn't exclusive to humans." Annie said, irritated.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that at all."

Eren studied the girl walking at his side, was it him or something else putting her on edge?

"This is it! Can you believe this?" Reiner hollered as he slapped Berthold across the back playfully.

Berthold cracked a smile as he replied: "Yeah, surreal, isn't it?"

"I hope the council doesn't keep us all night, I could really go for some of your mother's cooking!"

"I just hope they recognize us… five years…" Berthold trailed off as Reiner periodically hopped with excitement.

For fear of crossing lines, Eren sought a discreet method of asking his question:

'Reiner's parents?'

'Both died when he was seven; imp encounter, they were among a scout party of six shifters that was wiped out. Berthold's family took him in afterward, it's why they have a sibling-like bond.'

'Oh… I'm glad I asked you instead.'

Annie offered no response, but from the corner of his eye, Eren noticed her nod her head slightly. After several hundred meters of uphill travel, they group could see the end of the tunnel. Once again, relative to the tunnel, the light was blinding. Seconds after exiting the passage, Eren needed a few moments to process what stood before him. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen in his life.

* * *

A/N: Woo! Over 30,000 words, this feels more legit every time I add to it! This is it for this weekend, next chapter should be next Saturday or Sunday. Although, I still plan on refining this and the last chapter over the week. Oh! I don't believe I've mentioned it, but I reworked chapter 1 a bit. Biggest change is at the end, nothing major, just foreshadowing ;)

Also, I wasn't really sure how far I should go with the intimacy, I'd love some feedback about that in particular. Feel free to review or PM me about it, I'm genuinely curious what the readers want here.


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